Agathon Léonard, Sketch with Three Heads (circa 1910)

Agathon LÉONARD (Lille 1841 - Paris 1923) Sketch with Three Heads. Circa 1910. Terracotta. 30 X 15 X 10 cm. Signed: A Léonard. Agathon Léonard was a major sculptor of the Art Nouveau movement. This terracotta sketch features three heads: a young woman with a bun (on the right), an old bald man with a long beard (in the centre), and an old faun (on the left). The subject is mysterious, symbolist, and unusual (although Rodin and Bourdelle also experimented with groups of three heads) and remains unidentified. The bearded man in the centre appears to be an artist or a poet, flanked by his muse and a faun. This enigmatic work by Léonard is an original terracotta rather than a mould, and it is unpublished.