Bronze plaque depicting Alexandre Arquillière by Alexandre Charpentier, signed Alexandre Charpentier lower right, titled ARQUILLIERE at top, and dated October 27, 1891 on the right.
Alexandre Arquillière (1870-1953) was a French theater and film actor. He made his debut at the Théâtre Libre in 1888, playing Georges Courteline's Lidoire et Boubouroche and Marcel Luguet's Le Missionnaire.
He took part in the early days of cinema in the first silent films under the direction of one of the pioneers of the seventh art: Albert Capellani.
He enjoyed great success as Zigomar in a series of short films directed by Victorin Jasset.
Alexandre Charpentier (1856-1909) was a key figure in the renewal of the decorative arts at the end of the 19th century. A musician himself, he frequented artistic and literary Bohemia. A friend of André Antoine, considered the inventor of modern stage direction in France and founder of the Théâtre Libre, Alexandre Charpentier designed the programs and created medallion portraits of the theater's collaborators.
The plaque we are presenting was created at the start of the actor's career and during the blossoming of André Antoine's Théâtre Libre. Another portrait of Alexandre Arquillière by Alexandre Charpentier, preserved at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, is a historic demonstration of the sculptor's close relationship with a theatrical milieu in turmoil.
Frame dimensions: 47.5 x 32cm
