Max Blondat

Salon des Artistes Français, Paris, 1907.

Jean Laran, La sculpture aux Salons, Art et Décoration, June 1907, p. 197, for an illustration of the present lot.

Elégance, du 20ème siècle, L'Exposition des Porcelaines de Sèvres du style Art Déco, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, 2 Octobre - 19 Décembre, 1993, plate 95, for the illustration of the porcelain reduction of the present model.

Le Sculpteur Max Blondat (1872-1925) du Modern Style à l'Art Déco, Musée Départemental de l'Oise, Beauvais, 1979, pp. 7-8

The fountain weighs approximately 20,000 pounds. The company DUN-RITE will dismantle the fountain from our premises following the May 5th sale and will be storing the piece at their New York premises, from which the successful bidder will be able to make collection arrangements. The piece is made in three sections: the front section comprising the basin with a rounded front, the back section comprising the small basin at the back, and finally the figural group of the three children. The fountain will need to be professionally constructed with the adequate plumbing and pump (not provided). The section will need to be sealed so the basin can be watertight. Overall in good condition with no breaks to the children's fingers and toes. The children are seated on a rock which terminates to its bottom edge with carved stalactite-like pieces. Please note that the tip of two is broken to the back of the group and this does not alter its decorative purpose. The front left end angle of the fountain located just before the rounded basin shows a repaired break, now with visible crack. This restoration is visible in the catalogue illustration. The frogs were most probably made of lead circa 1907, and are now made of bronze implying a later date cast. The three frogs are not attached to the basin and will need to be sealed to it. The grey veined marble shows some yellow dots, staining overall and it is from its natural color. We believe that the marble is a Arabescato marble form the Serravezza Luca, Carrara region in Italy.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Max Blondat first studied at the École Germain Pillon in 1889 and joined the École des Beaux-Arts in 1892. A pupil of Mathurin Moreau and Charles Valton, he regularly exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français from 1890 onwards, and received an honorable mention at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900, which brought him into public view and subsequently began his considerable success. Blondat was known primarily as a decorative sculptor, of which the present lot is a wonderful example. He was one of the founders of the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs in 1906. Fontaine aux Grenouilles, also known as Fontaine Jeunesse, was first exhibited at the Salon in Paris in 1904. With great acclaim, Blondat received a Médaille de première classe. Max Blondat was made an officer of the Légion d'honneur in 1925.

 

Irrefutably his most celebrated piece and composed of three young children perched on a rock bemuzing by three frogs, this impressive fountain has numerous reproductions which adorn public squares and gardens in Dusseldorf, Zurich and in the Place Darcy in Dijon and Fontainebleau. Interestingly, in most of the examples, the three children are cast in bronze. Another all-marble example, made by the artist in 1913, was commissioned by Denver Mayor Robert W. Speer as part of the "City Beautiful" campaign. The fountain still stands in Denver's city park.