Isidore de Rudder

ISIDORE DE RUDDER (Brussels, 1855-1943).
Daphne" lamp, Art Nouveau period.
Pewter.
Signed.
With foundry stamp.
Measurements: 76 x 23 cm.

Isidore de Rudder transfigures the myth of Apollo and Daphne in an exquisite Art Nouveau lamp. To understand it iconographically it is necessary to delve into Ovid's Metamorphoses: In revenge of Apollo, who had mocked him, Cupid, god of love, simultaneously launched two arrows, one of gold and the other of lead. The golden arrow hit Apollo, making him fall madly in love with the beautiful Daphne. The other, made of lead, hit the nymph, which inspired disgust in Apollo. As Apollo pursued her, she, exhausted, asked for help from her father, the god of the river Penea, who transformed his daughter into a tree.

End of the formIsidore de Rudder trained at the Brussels Academy between 1869 and 1880. He exhibited his first sculpture, "Tête d'Enfant", at the Ghent Salon of 1880. He subsequently exhibited at the 1881 Salon with "Feue Madame L." and at the Union des Arts circle in 1882 with "Le Petit Pêcheur". That same year, he finished second in the Prix de Rome, which allowed him to travel to several European countries such as Germany, England and France. He worked with various materials, including tin, ivory, silver, sandstone and porcelain, as well as bronze. Today his work can be found in many public spaces in Brussels and France (Flemish Theater of Brussels, Botanical Garden of Brussels or in the Place de l'Alma in Paris). His work "The Nest" (which catapulted him to fame) is exhibited at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and his sculpture "L'Education morale" can be found at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels.