Rago Auctions

Alfred-Louis-Achille Daguet was born in 1875. Not much is known of his early years, but he was a pupil of celebrated artist Jean-Léon Gérôme. Daguet appeared mysteriously in Paris in 1900 and began to make a name for himself on the local art scene. Working in a studio above Siegfried Bing's renowned L'Art Nouveau boutique, Daguet wrought all manner of intricately fashioned works from copper, brass, wood, and glass cabochons. Stylistically, Daguet blended the extravagance of French Art Nouveau, the personalized craftmanship of British Arts & Crafts, and the dreamlike ornamentation of 19th century Symbolist art.

Daguet marked his early works "Metaux S. Bing" or "Brass S. Bing," suggesting that he was part of a metalworking department at L'Art Nouveau, but in fact he operated independently. During the Paris Salon of 1903 and 1904, Daguet had seven works featured in the exhibition, which showcased his prodigious talent with repoussé copper applied to hinged boxes, mantel clocks, and other items. Along with flowers and foliage, Daguet was fond of decorating the panels of his creations with creatures such as eagles, bats, butterflies, elephants, fish, and lobsters. After L'Art Nouveau closed in 1905, Daguet relocated his studio to the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Jacques and eventually found prominent clients like actors Sarah Bernhardt, for whom he made a mixed-metal mirror frame, and Maurice and Lionel Barrymore. For the 1910 Salon of the Société des Artistes Français, Daguet presented metalwork in a more modern style.

With the onset of World War I, Daguet became a Sergeant Mechanic in the French army's 2nd Aviation Group. During his military service, Daguet produced roughly 2,000 sketches of French and foreign aircraft as well as aviation manufacturing posters. These works were widely lauded for their accurate representation of technical details. After the armistice ending the war, a 1919 aeronautics exhibition in Paris included a selection of watercolors by Daguet. Today Daguet's aircraft drawings and paintings are housed at the Musée de l'air et de l'espace in Le Bourget, north of Paris.

In the 1920s, Daguet returned to metalsmithing, focusing mostly on religious-themed designs in steel and bronze. Examples of these Daguet works were shown in 1926 at the Palais Galliera in Paris, not far from the Arc de Triomphe. Daguet died in 1942 with France in the midst of World War II.