THE WORK. BRONZED METAL SCULPTURE, SIGNED BY VICTOR ROUSSEAU

A refined small bronze metal sculpture symbolically dedicated to the exaltation of "Work", to which it is titled. Note the extreme refinement of the features of the face, a particularity that this artist of Belgian origin meticulously cared for. The signature of the master is evident on the base. The sculpture rests on a pedestal of painted wood imitating marble, where a metallic plaque is placed, engraved with the title of the work: "Travail" per Rousseau. Belgium - early 1900s ROUSSEAU, Victor (1865 - 1954) Italian Encyclopedia (1936) by Sophie A. Deschamps ROUSSEAU, Victor. - Belgian sculptor, born in Feluy (Hainaut) on December 16, 1865. From the age of 10, he learned the stonemason's trade in the quarries of his country. At 11, he was a stonemason at the Brussels Palace of Justice, then under construction, where he also sculpted some ornaments, and worked for seven years. At 18, he entered the studio of a decorative sculptor, simultaneously taking courses at the academy under the guidance of van der Stappen. But at the same time, he frequented the opera and concerts. Wagner, who began to assert himself, and Beethoven produced a profound impression on him. Rousseau, in fact, embodies those Walloon artisans, dreamers, idealists, intellectuals, whose musical soul gives a harmonious sense to their manifestations of beauty. A stonemason before a sculptor, Rousseau recalls the masons of the medieval cathedrals, not only for his evolution, but also for the works executed with intense love, and so sincere and moving: numerous monuments, groups, allegorical images and beautiful busts. The figures of women and children, especially, are of exquisite grace and charm. He was director of the Brussels Academy. His works are found in all the major museums of Europe and America. Bibl.: A. Mockel, V. R., Paris 1904; A. Goffin, Victor Rousseau, Brussels 1932; M. Devigne, in Thieme-Becker, K"unstler-Lexikon, XXIX, Leipzig 1935.