Adolphe Jean Lavergne (1863-1928), The Snake Charmer

Bronze with a brown patina for the figure and gilt for the snake, signed LAVERGNE.
France, circa 1900.


Dimensions
Height 54 cm
Width 25 cm
Depth 16 cm



Description
The Snake Charmer is an emblematic sculpture reflecting the late 19th-century taste for exoticism and Orientalism. Through a slender and perfectly sculpted male figure, Adolphe Jean Lavergne combines academic elegance, sensuality, and a sense of movement.

The figure, captured in a suspended moment, converses with the snake coiled around his flute, evoking both music and the mastery and fascination of man over the animal. The precise modeling, balanced anatomy, and subtle tension of the pose testify to the sculptor's high level of technical skill.

Crafted in bronze with a nuanced brown patina, the work captivates with the delicacy of its forms, the richness of its details, and the depth of its patina, which accentuates the refinement and sensuality of the composition.

With its elegance, its controlled exoticism, and its strong decorative presence, The Snake Charmer is a particularly attractive piece for a refined interior or a collection dedicated to French sculpture of the Belle Époque.




Biography
Adolphe Jean Lavergne (1863–1928) was a French sculptor representative of the great figurative tradition of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in 1863, he trained within the French academic system and became a student of the sculptor Jouffroy, a direct heir to the classical teaching of the École des Beaux-Arts. This rigorous training profoundly influenced his work, resulting in a masterful command of modeling and a particular attention to the expressiveness of the figures.

Lavergne exhibited at the Paris Salon, a key venue for artistic recognition in his time, and fully embraced the then-fashionable realist and naturalist movement. He distinguished himself with sculptures of figures, genre scenes, and busts, often inspired by popular, mythological, or historical figures, which he rendered with sensitivity and precision.

His work is primarily known for its finely chiseled bronzes, characterized by a harmonious balance between dynamism, elegant poses, and exquisite detail. The expressions, drapery, and postures demonstrate a genuine concern for life and movement, giving his sculptures a presence that is both decorative and expressive.

Some of his works are held in public collections, particularly in the Dordogne, a region to which he remained attached. Today, sculptures signed A. J. Lavergne or simply Lavergne are sought after by collectors of French Belle Époque sculpture for their quality of execution and timeless appeal.