Charles Lefébure (1862-1943) - Photograph of Henri Van de Velde's private home ‘Bloemenwerf’.

Lot 239 - Charles Lefébure (1862-1943) - Photograph of the private house ‘Bloemenwerf’, Avenue Vanderaey 102 (Uccle, 1895): interior view of Maria Sèthe's studio This rare photograph by Charles Lefébure offers a precious view of the interior of the Bloemenwerf, the house-studio that Henry van de Velde had built in 1895 in Uccle, at Avenue Vanderaey 102. Designed according to the principles of a total art of living, this residence embodies van de Velde's ideal of fusing architecture, furniture, decorative arts and everyday life. The photograph here shows a little-documented room: the design studio of Maria Sèthe, the architect's wife and an artist in her own right. Taken between 1895 and 1900, the image reveals a working space bathed in light, revealing an environment conducive to artistic creation. Maria Sèthe, often relegated to the background in classical historiography, was nevertheless an active figure in Art Nouveau, influenced by British decorative arts and the Arts and Crafts movement. Her refined taste, her involvement in the design of the Bloemenwerf and her artistic sensibility undoubtedly exerted a subtle but profound influence on her husband's work. However, the exact extent of her impact on Henry van de Velde's career and aesthetic direction remains unknown and largely understudied. This photograph is therefore a document of great historical value, not only for the study of domestic architecture of the period, but also for rehabilitating the role of women artists in the emergence of Art Nouveau in Belgium. Small tear to upper left corner. Réf. Goldfield :GFAD2473 Poids :5GR Mesures :H 130MM X L 180MM Condition : USURES NORMAL