Agathon Léonard

This elegant figure in an elaborately draped dress belongs to a series of dancers conceived by Agathon Léonard, the Jeu de l'Écharpe, which was first exhibited at the Société Nationale des Beaux Art in 1897 as a project for a theatre foyer. The dancers in elegant poses are characterised by their delicate gestures, loose dresses and wide sleeves. They rapidly became Léonard's most popular works and were produced in gilt bronze by the Susse foundry. The present bronze is a fine Susse cast of the Danseuse à l'écharpe (pieds invisibles), which was only edited in the present large size, showing a carefully chased surface in the bronze to produce a shimmer-effect of light on the gilding. 

Born to Belgian parents as Léonard Agathon van Weydeveldt, Léonard studied in his hometown of Lille under Delaplanche before settling in Paris, first exhibiting at the Salon there in 1868. He had a successful career, exhibiting regularly in Paris until 1914 and serving as part of the jury for the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. He became particularly known for his small subjects representative of the Art Nouveau. His most successful works, the figures of the Jeu de l'Écharpe, were offered to the Empress of Russia as a table centrepiece, as well as becoming popular figurines in porcelain, cast by the Sèvres factory.