Maximilien Henri Hiolle (French, 1843-circa 1930), Bas-Relief Portrait of Ernest-Eugène Hiolle

Life-size oval cast plaster medallion with applied finish, signed and dated "M. Hiolle.1885" to the lower projecting edge, set within a cove molded mahogany frame.

Plaster 17 1/2 x 14 in.; frame size 22 3/4 x 19 3/4 x 3 in.

Maximilien Henri Hiolle studied at the Ecole Academique in Valenciennes before entering the studio of François Jouffroy at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Hiolle was a debutant in the Salon of 1869. After the Franco-Prussian War and the Commune, he participated in the various building projects around Paris, including the Palais Garnier and Hôtel de Ville, which had been destroyed during the Commune. Hiolle became a Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur in 1873 and was awarded the medal of honor in the Exposition Universelle of 1878. Among his many portrait busts, he sculpted one of Charles Garnier and his teacher François Jouffroy.

This sensitive relief, of Hiolle’s older brother Ernest, exhibits a tenderness and warmth that was obviously felt between the brothers. The attention to the details of the coiffure, moustache, and waistcoat indicate Hiolle’s skill at utilizing the vocabulary of sculpture in relief.

Tight crack and repair to the lower edge along the sitters collar/cravat (stable); later brackets to the verso, but likely original frame.