418, Lot: 579. Estimate $100. Sold for $60. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

FRANCE, Troisième République. 1870-1940. Uniface Æ Plaquette (104x70mm, 33.52 g). Midi Roi des étés epandu sur la plaine. By Etienne-Victor Exbrayat. Dated 1913. Female figure reclining left, examining flower; in background, pastoral scene / Rough incuse impression with mounting tabs. EF.

Collector’s notes: “The legend "Midi Roi des Etes Epandu sur la Plaine" derives from a poem by Leconte de Lisle: At Noon – meaning when the Sun is up and warm – when the King of Summers is dispatching its rays on the meadow.

This rare embossed plaquette was engraved and made for the Gerbe d'Or Jewelry in Paris by Etienne-Victor Exbrayat (1879-1914). He was pupil to Ponscarme and Thomas. He exhibited at the Salon of the Société des Artistes Francais from 1904 and received an honorable mention for his Salon entry. He became an associate of the Société des Artistes Francais in 1905 and received a third-class medal in 1911.This embossed plaquette belongs to a set of pieces he engraved in the early 20th Century for the Gerbe d'Or jewellery. Their theme was the different parts of the day, in the morning…at noon…at the evening. It is probably one of the last master pieces to be made by Etienne-Victor Exbrayat, as he died a few months later. It is a complete and beautiful Art Nouveau Art work so full of grace and sensitivity.”