“Art Nouveau Female”

Beautiful bronze plaque of a young woman with flowers in her hair and holding wheat sheaths by the well known French sculptor, Pierre-Alexandre Morlon. Art Nouveau period. Circa 1900. Signed lower right “Morlon”. The reverse of the plaque shows one planting of the crops scene with a harvesting scene on the bottom of the plaque. Condition is very good. Original patina. Provenance: A New York collector.

Pierre-Alexandre Morlon (June 4, 1878, Mâcon – 1951), sculptor and medalist, French school.
A student of Falguière and Mercié, the artist made his debut at the 1900 Salon. He was an *hors-concours* (exempt from jury selection) member of the *Salon des Artistes Français* and served as a jury member. He is known for creating the commemorative war medals and the Inter-Allied Victory Medal for the 1914–1918 conflict. He created the designs for coins minted in aluminum bronze. His sculptures tend to be less allegorical; works such as his *Sea Wolf* (*Loup de mer*) or his group *The Grape Harvesters* (*Les Vendangeurs*) are remarkably realistic. He also sculpted several war memorials. He received medals in 1903 and 1906, a travel grant in 1910, a gold medal in 1920, and a medal of honor in 1926; he was also named a Knight of the Legion of Honor. Works by this artist are held in the collections of the Paris Mint museum (*Musée de la Monnaie*) and the Ghent Museum.