circa 1850
The son of a goldsmith, Parisian born Antoine-Louis Barye was a sculptor of animal subjects and acclaimed, not only for his apparent skill but as the founder of what became known as the French Animaliers School. Among his patrons were representatives of the state government and royalty, including the Duke of Orleans and the Dukes of Luynes, Montpensier and Nemours.
Well compensated financially, Barye was able to buy the best of materials and hire the country's most skilled foundry craftsmen. The foundry he hired was owned by Ferdinand Barbedienne and casts from this period were stamped with the letters, FB. However, he did not make a lot of money from his work because he was such a perfectionist that often he would not sell his work because he thought it was not "quite right." In 1848, he declared bankruptcy and his molds and plaster casts were sold along with the copyrights.
Barye's specialty was aroused, angry-seeming wild game such as lions and tigers and elephants, but he also did equestrian groups and mythology figures. In order to do realistic depictions of animal anatomy, he spent much time at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. His early training was as an apprentice to a metal engraver, but being drafted in the army in 1812 ended that education. In 1832, he had established his studio, and unique at that time was his method of cold stamping his bronze casts so that each one had a special number. He had his first entry, The Milo of Croton, in the Paris Salon in 1819, winning a second prize. In 1831, a work regarded as a masterpiece, Tiger Devouring a Gavial, was in the Salon and purchased for the Luxembourg Gardens, which is now in the Louvre. However, many of his subsequent Salon submissions were rejected and so angered him that between 1836 and 1851, he refused to submit entries. In 1851, he again exhibited at the Salon with Jaguar Devouring A Hare, and this work, like the 1831 entry, was placed in the Luxembourg Gardens and eventually in the Louvre.
In spite of problems with the Salon, Barye received many accolades for his work, and the period of 1837–48 was considered the most productive time of his career. However, in 1848, when he lost control of his work and it was reproduced by others including Martin and Barbedienne, the sculptures, according to some art professionals, are not as skillfully executed. In 1848, after his bankruptcy, Barye became director of Casts and Models in the Louvre, until 1850, when he was replaced by Emmanuel Fremiet. It was a very difficult time for him. However, within a few years, he began receiving accolades for the quality and uniqueness of his work, and people began appreciating the powerful images of his sculpture, especially the wildlife in their natural surroundings. In 1854, he was appointed Master of Zoological Drawing in the Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle and held this position until his death in 1875.
Half-blood Horse, head raised
By Antoine-Louis Barye
Located in PARIS, FR
Half-blood Horse, head raised by Antoine-Louis BARYE (1796-1875) A bronze sculpture with a dark brown patina Signed on the base " Barye " Cast by " F. Barbedienne fondeur " (with th...
Bronze
Turkish Horse
By Antoine-Louis Barye
Located in PARIS, FR
Turkish Horse by Antoine-Louis Barye (1796-1875) "Cheval turc, antérieur gauche levé, terrasse carrée" Bronze sculpture with a nuanced dark brown patina Signed " Barye " on the base...
Bronze
Tartar warrior stopping his horse
By Antoine-Louis Barye
Located in PARIS, FR
Tartar warrior stopping his horse by Antoine-louis BARYE (1796-1875) Equestrian group in bronze with a nuanced dark greenish brown patina any cast mark old edition cast France cir...
Bronze
Tartar warrior stopping his horse
By Antoine-Louis Barye
Located in PARIS, FR
Tartar warrior stopping his horse by Antoine-Louis BARYE (1796-1875) Bronze group with a nuanced greenish dark brown patina Signed "Barye" on the base Cast by "F. Barbedienne Fonde...
Bronze
Theseus slaying the Centaur Bienor
By Antoine-Louis Barye
Located in PARIS, FR
Antoine-Louis BARYE (1796-1875) Theseus slaying the Centaur Bienor A bronze sculpture with a nuanced dark greenish brown patina Signed on the base "A-L. Barye" Old edition cast – f...
Bronze
Theseus slaying the Centaur Bienor
By Antoine-Louis Barye
Located in PARIS, FR
Theseus slaying the Centaur Bienor by Antoine-Louis BARYE (1796-1875) A bronze sculpture with a nuanced light brown patina Signed on the base "A-L. Barye" Old edition cast – from t...
Bronze
Le cheval demi-sang arabe
By Antoine-Louis Barye
Located in Mc Lean, VA
A nineteenth-century cast of Antoine-Louis Barye's Le cheval demi-sang arabe (no. A125-Poletti; A148-Pivar), with nice patina. Poletti and Richarme, Barye: ...
Bronze
Antoine-Louis Barye Bronze Horse Sculpture with Left Foot Raised and Dark Patina
By Antoine-Louis Barye
Located in Atlanta, GA
An Antoine-Louis Barye bronze sculpture from the 19th century depicting a horse with left foot raised and dark patina. Discover the evocative e...
Bronze
Antique Horse Bronze Trotting Stallion Isidore Jules Bonheur (France, 1827-1901)
By Isidore Jules Bonheur
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Horse Bronze Portrait of a Trotting Stallion Isidore Jules Bonheur (France, 1827-1901) Cast bronze mounted on a rectangular plinth with dark brown patina, Signed: I. BONHEUR 17 x 11 3/4 A brilliant exploration of a stallion in full trot. The patina is a deep, warm walnut brown with honey-colored tones. Isidore Bonheur was best known and the most distinguished of the 19th century French animalier sculptors. Isidore, the younger brother of Rosa Bonheur and older brother of Auguste, began his studies of painting initially with his father, who was friends with Francisco Goya. By 1848 he debuted at the Paris Salon having discontinued animal and landscape painting to concentrate on creating sculptures and in 1849, Bonheur enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. He won medals at the Paris Salon in 1859 and did so again in 1865 and in 1869. After entering the Exposition Universelle 1855, he won the Gold Medal in 1889. In the 1870s exhibited in the London at the Royal Academy of Arts where he earned great prestige and won the coveted Medaille d’Or. After winning numerous other medals and prizes, Bonheur was awarded the Legion d' Honneur in 1895 and he was Knighted in Portugal, Spain and France. Bonheur continued exhibiting at the Paris Salon until 1899. Many of his bronzes were fabricated at the foundry owned by Hippolyte Peyrol, Bonheur's brother-in-law by marriage to Isidore’s youngest sister Juliette Bonheur. The Peyrol casts for both Rosa and Isidore are exceptionally well executed which suggests a strong working relationship between the founder and sculptor. There is little doubt that Isidore Bonheur was an acute observer of nature; his animals were not anthropomorphized but modelled to catch movement or posture characteristics of the particular species he was sculpting. He achieved this most successfully with his sculptures of horses which are usually depicted as relaxed rather than spirited. These figures are among his most renowned works and his equestrian models became very popular, particularly among the British aristocracy. An acute observer of nature, his sculptures reflect his commitment to the Realist school - with precise detailing of the movements of animals in their natural habitats. Ultimately, His naturalistic studies of animals are now some of the most highly sought after works by any of the animalier. He was possibly inspired by his many visits to the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show...
Bronze
Antique Bronze Portrait Draft Horse by Isidore Jules Bonheur (France, 1827-1901)
By Isidore Jules Bonheur
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Bronze Portrait of a Draft Horse Isidore Jules Bonheur (France, 1827-1901) Circa 1840s Cast bronze mounted on a rectangular plinth atop a marble s...
Bronze
French Bronze Sculpture of a Stallion, PJ Mene (1810-1871)
Located in New York, NY
This highly detailed study of a Normandy mare is an excerpted model from Mêne's popular Jument normande et son poulain, exhibited in wax at the 1868 Salon (no. 3749), and in bronze t...
Bronze
Cheval - Sculpture en bronze de Jules Moigniez, 19e siècle, signé
By Jules Moigniez
Located in Ixelles, BE
Jules Moigniez (1835-1894) Cheval Bronze à patine brune H. : 16,2 cm; L. : 22 cm; P. : 7,4 cm Signé en creux «J. Moigniez» sur la terrasse Épreuve de fonte ancienne Après avoir été ...
Bronze
