Hector Guimard (1867-1942), Art Nouveau Saint Dizier Planter

Hector GUIMARD (1867–1942)
Wall-Mounted Planter – Model GF, created in 1908
Cast iron with naturalistic Art Nouveau decoration
Produced by the Saint-Dizier Foundries
L. 103 cm – D. 28 cm
(This piece has been sandblasted)

This elegant wall-mounted planter, designed by Hector Guimard in 1908, perfectly embodies the Art Nouveau quest for harmony between nature and industrial craftsmanship. Made of cast iron, it features a flowing vegetal design where stems and leaves intertwine in graceful, organic arabesques—hallmarks of Guimard’s distinctive ornamental vocabulary.

Edited and produced by the Saint-Dizier Foundries, this piece belongs to the series of artistic castings Guimard designed for architectural and decorative use, aiming to make modernist aesthetics accessible through industrial production. The particularly refined execution of this model demonstrates the remarkable technical mastery of early 20th-century French metalwork.

Bibliography:
– Alastair Duncan, Louis C. Tiffany, The Garden Museum Collection, Antique Collectors' Club, London, 2004, similar model reproduced p. 607.
– Commercial Catalogue of the Société des Fonderies de Bayad et Saint-Dizier, Fontes artistiques pour constructions, fumisterie, articles de jardins et sépultures, style Guimard, L. Geisler Printing, Paris, 1907, similar model reproduced pl. 41, p. 36.