Artwork Description

Édouard Drouot (French, 1859–1945) — "Hébé" — Gilt and Patinated Bronze

A finely cast Belle Époque bronze by the celebrated French sculptor Édouard Drouot, depicting Hébé, the Greek goddess of youth and cupbearer to the gods of Olympus. Draped in flowing classical robes, the figure raises the cup of nectar aloft in one hand while extending the other toward the eagle of Zeus at her side — the recurring neoclassical subject of Hébé feeding the eagle, a favourite theme of nineteenth-century academic sculptors.

The work is distinguished by its rich two-tone treatment: the figure rendered in warm gilt bronze that catches the light across the modelled drapery and upraised arm, set against the darker brown and verdigris patina of the eagle, the swirling cloud-form base, and the socle. This contrast of finishes, characteristic of the finest decorative bronzes of the period, lends the piece both movement and depth. The bronze is raised on a turned circular verde marble base fitted with a titled plaque reading HÉBÉ, and is signed by the artist.

Drouot trained under Mathurin Moreau and Émile Thomas and exhibited at the Paris Salon from the 1880s, becoming one of the most sought-after sculptors of allegorical and mythological figures during the Art Nouveau era. His bronzes are held in private collections internationally and remain highly collectable today.

An elegant and confidently modelled example, ideal as a centrepiece for a classical or period interior.