BRONZE LAMP BY “LÉO LAPORTE-BLAIRSY (1867-1923)” “DANCER LIE FULLER

Léo Laporte-Blairsy (1865–1923) — France, circa 1900
This bronze table lamp with a brown patina depicts the American dancer Loïe Fuller, a prominent figure of the Belle Époque. With her head tilted, the dancer lifts the folds of her dress with both hands. The drapery opens in wide, undulating folds and extends behind her in a movement reminiscent of her famous Serpentine Dance.
Light is an integral part of the composition. Nestled beneath a fold of the dress, the bulb diffuses a warm glow that highlights the bronze's relief and recalls the interplay of light with which Loïe Fuller accompanied her choreography.
The lamp bears the signature "LEO LAPORTE-BLAIRSY" around the edge of the circular base. Stamped numerals are visible on the back, near the electrical cord exit. The sculpture is presented on a circular base covered in orange fabric.

Dimensions

Height of the sculpture without the fabric base — 31 cm
Total height — 39 cm
Width — 25 cm
Depth — 23 cm

I have chosen 1865 as the year of birth, based on the records of the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée des Augustins. The description of the bronze with a brown patina corresponds to that of a comparable example of the same model catalogued by the Dorotheum.
Loïe Fuller (1862–1928), whose real name was Mary Louise Fuller, was an American dancer and choreographer, a pioneer of modern dance. She achieved immense success at the Folies Bergère in Paris in 1892 with her famous Serpentine Dance. Ashmolean Museum
On stage, she swirled the panels of a flowing silk dress using sticks. Electric spotlights with changing colors transformed the fabric into arabesques that evoked, in turn, flowers, butterflies, or flames. This interplay of movement and light made her an emblematic figure of the Belle Époque. expositions.bnf.fr
Léo Laporte-Blairsy's lamp takes up this idea. The dancer lifts the folds of her dress, and the bulb, placed beneath the drapery, illuminates the folds from within. It's a way of recreating in bronze the luminous effect of her performances.

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