Artist name: Moreau, Auguste Louis Mathurin
Sex: m
Artist occupation: sculptor, painter
State: France
Place of birth: Dijon
Date of birth: 1834
Place of death: Malesherbes
Date of death: 1917
First cited: 1872
Last cited: 1913
Place(s) cited: Dijon Paris

The third son of sculptor and painter Jean Baptiste Moreau, Moreau initiated himself to sculpture along with his older brother Mathurin. In 1861, he made his debut at the Salon, where he would exhibit regularly until 1913. His subjects were primarily genre scenes, pastorals, and allegories; his style was realistic and graceful, revealing his relation to the other embers of the Moreau dynasty. The similitude of names sometimes provokes confusion in the attribution of certain works signed without first initials.

A number of bronzes (statuettes and small groups, unless noted otherwise) appeared among Auguste Moreau's consignments to the Salon: Pandore (1863), 'Message (1880), Les Enfants egares (1881), La Charmeuse, bust (1882), Les Adieux, Le Retour des hirondelles (1883), Charmeuse, Le Char de l'Amour (1890), Le Premier Bijou, Les Grapilleurs (1892), Le Lever de l'Aurore (1893), Fleur de Mer, Victrix enfant, is latter work in bronze and gold (1897), Amour triomphante (1900), La Source (1901), Au Clair de lune, statue of a woman (1902), La Fee des mers (1903), Ismaël, a bust, Les Contes de l'aieule, Enfant sur la 'eve (1905), Eros enfant (1907). Also of note are some small groups and statutes in marble, such as L'enfant aux fauvettes (1878), Le Baiser (1880), Le Printemps (1881), La Source (1885), La Premiere Fleche (1894), Jeureux pêcheur (1895), Enfant dans les bles (1901), La grande Soeur, group of children (1907), Le Baiser ‘amour (1908), Enfant dans les fleurs (1912). Enfant la chevre (1913). It is necessary to note some figures in plaster: Les Adieux (1882), Alerte (1885), Pecheur d'ecrevisses (1902), Le Baiser de la vague (1906), some others in terra cotta, and finally two statuettes in pewter: Eglantine and Attraits dangereux (1896). A number of Auguste Moreau's subjects, very popular at the time, were cast in bronze. Their titles vary between exposition catalogs and listings from public sales, so connecting individual pieces with works exhibited at the Salon is not easy. Here are bronzes noted at diverse times on the market:

Alerte, 30 cm. Amour envoyant des baisers, 64 cm. Amour triomphante or Amour vainqueur, 68 cm (cast by Susse). Apollon. 135 cm. La Brise (a young girl waving a scarf). 63 and 52 cm. Cendrillon. 72 cm. Enfant jouant avec une poule, 77 cm. Fillette au canard, Fillette au parapluie. 48 cm. 1rw et Melicerte, 130 cm. Jeune Femme a la vague, 90 cm. Le Lever de l'Aurore, 80 and 65 cm. Le Message, 75 cm. Naïade au trident, 60 cm.La Pêcheurs de crevettes, 62 cm. Psyche enfant or Petite Fille a l'oiseau, 70 and 55 cm. Le Retour des hirondelles, 85 cm. Rose de mai, 83 cm (model in regule. 50 cm). Vase porte par un amour, 25 cm. Victrix enfant, cast by Eugene Blot.

Furthermore, Harold Bermann (Bronzes, Sculptors and Founders, 1974-1981) made note of a number of original molds originating from a French foundry, acquired after World War n by American founder J.B. Hirsch. And reused thereafter to make new castings.

According to Bermann, many works by Auguste Moreau appeared among these American editions. Namely Le Cadeau, 68 cm, Cupidon, 71 cm, Deux Enfants, 50 cm, Fontaine et ruisseau. 37.5 cm, Jeune Paysanne. 58 cm, Pan. 75 cm, Petit Amour, 33

MUSEUMS
Bordeaux
Enfant moissonneur, 55 cm

Dijon
L'Amour guettant des papillons. Bas-relief. 21 x 13 cm.
Cupidon, 31 cm.
Ismaël. Bust. 35 cm.
Madame Olivet-Moreau. Bas-relief in silver 30 x 20 cm

Gray
La Boudeuse. 58 cm (A. Normand. founder).

Reims
Amour a l'oiseau. 28 cm.

References

Bellier de la Chavignerie, E. & L. Auvray. Dictionnaire général des artistes de l'école française (Bellier-Auvray) (1887) 5 v.
Edouard-Joseph, R. Dictionnaire biographique des artistes contemporains, 1910-1930 (1936) 4 v.
Havlice, P. Index to artistic biography (1974) 2 v. First supplement (1981)
MacKay, J. A dictionary of Western Sculptors in Bronze, 1976
Busse, J. Internationales Handbuch aller Maler und Bildhauer des 19. Jahrhunderts (Busse-Verzeichnis) (1977)
Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication; La Sculpture Française au XIXe Siecle, 1986.
Berman, H. Bronzes- Sculptors and Founders, 1987
Forrest, M., Art Bronzes, 1988
Kjellberg, P. Bronzes of the 19th Century, A Dictionary of Sculptors, 1992
Bénézit, E. Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Graveurs, Gründ, 1999.
Thieme-Becker, Allgemeines Lexikon Der Bildenden Künstler Von Der Antike Gegenwart, 1999