Vide poche - France

Antique Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) vide-poche or decorative bowl, made of solid bronze. The object dates from around 1900 and is cast in the shape of an elegant Jacob's shell. The bowl is richly decorated with openwork handles, a large grape cluster and detailed grape leaves. The unique detail is the spider in relief. This is a very characteristic and charming detail for this casting, made in the style of the French artist Albert Marionnet. A vide-poche (French for "emptying the pockets") was traditionally placed in the hall on a table to hold small items as you came home, such as keys, coins, or letters. Today these bowls are mainly collected as decorative eye-catchers or used as a fruit bowl or jewelry box.