Block carving/ Relief, C. PIEDNOIR (XIXe-XXe) - Grand Panneau en Chêne Massif Sculpté en Bas-Relief - Scène Maritime - 31.5 cm - Oak - 1890

C. PIEDNOIR (19th-20th c.) - Grand Panel in Solid Oak Sculpted in Bas-Relief - Maritime Scene "Starfish" - Circa 1900
Description
Superb panel in solid oak sculpted in bas-relief, signed at the bottom left by the French sculptor C. PIEDNOIR (active at the end of the 19th / beginning of the 20th century).
This Pop Art piece of high quality represents a heroic maritime rescue scene, emblematic of the coasts of Western Europe (Brittany / Finistère).
Sailors in traditional attire struggle with their arms in the midst of the waves aboard a small boat named "STARFISH".
The panorama is completed in the background by a fortified stronghold or lighthouse on rocks to the left, and by a traditional vessel navigating in the distance to the right.
• Artist: C. PIEDNOIR, sculptor listed for his bas-relief sculpted works (public sales in France).
• Signature: Signed in a cursive and stylized manner "C. Piednoir" directly in the mass of the wood in the lower left corner.
• Aesthetics: The movement of the sea in thick swirls betrays a clear influence of Japonisme and Art Nouveau on the artist’s work around 1900.
The tension of the bodies and the finesse of the faces testify to an excellent technical mastery of wood sculpture.
• Material & Condition: Solid oak wood benefiting from a magnificent original patina, dark and deep. The reverse is rough with traces of manual planing from the period. Very good condition.
• Dimensions: 48 x 31 cm.
Historical & geographical focus:
This bas-relief by C. PIEDNOIR is a magnificent allegory of the courage of Finistère’s rescue sailors around 1900. The artist gathers the strongest symbols of the Brest region: on the left on the rocks, one recognizes the famous Fort de Camaret (the Vauban Tower) guarding the entrance to the goulet. In the foreground, the crew in suroît struggles with their arms aboard a rescue boat of the “Voile-Aviron” type, named "STARFISH" in homage to the protective figure of sailors (Stella Maris). In the distance to the right, a traditional sardine boat sails with reduced sails to逃 the storm and take shelter. The spectacular movement of the sea, treated in thick swirls, testifies to the strong influence of Japonisme and Art Nouveau on French sculptors of that period.