Terracotta vase by Paul François Berthoud (1870-1930)

A large terracotta vase featuring a female figure in the round, emerging from a lush plant motif. The delicate smile of the young woman, whose hair blends into the foliage, contributes to the sensuality of the piece and to the characteristic vitality of Art Nouveau. The fluidity of the lines, the rendering of the hair and the plant motifs, as well as the balance of the composition, attest to Paul-François Berthoud’s mastery of modeling.
In this work, the boundary between sculpture and decorative art tends to blur: the human figure, the plant elements, and the shape of the vase come together in an organic composition, close to the ideal of “total art” so cherished during that period.
A student of Pierre Dupuis, Emmanuel Fontaine, and Antonin Larroux, Paul-François Berthoud was one of the co-founders of the Salon d’Automne, in which he participated from 1907 to 1931. His work, devoted primarily to sculpture—and particularly to portraiture—is distinguished by a marked interest in the female figure and a penchant for textural effects. His famous bust of “Actress,” long identified as Sarah Bernhardt, was a major success and exists in several materials, notably patinated terracotta, bronze, marble, and plaster.