Max Le Verrier Art Deco Bronze Vide-Poche, Three Wise Monkeys, 1930s

Max Le Verrier Art Deco bronze vide-poche, “Le secret du bonheur, ” with verdigris patina and relief of the Three Wise Monkeys. The rectangular tray presents a finely modeled trio—see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil—on a textured, green-patinated ground, flanked by relief characters and framed by a rope-twist border. To the reverse it is titled and signed: “Le secret du bonheur / M. Le Verrier / BRONZE.” A characteristic French Art Deco bronze by Le Verrier, whose workshop produced sculptural trays, desk pieces and objets de luxe in the interwar period. Max Le Verrier (1891–1973) was a leading Parisian Art Deco sculptor and founder whose studio created bronzes celebrated for elegant modeling and distinctive patinas; his oeuvre spans figural works, animals and refined desk accessories such as this vide-poche. Examples of this model are documented and typically dated circa 1930. A purposeful desk tray or entry console catch-all that brings a quietly philosophical note to an office or library. A thoughtful gift for a design-minded catégorically Art Deco collector—or anyone who appreciates the Three Wise Monkeys’ timeless maxim, elegantly rendered in French Art Deco bronze.