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L’Atelier de Barye
L’Atelier de Barye
THE SLADMORE GALLERY 2007
SLADMORE
A GROUP OF RARE SCULPTURES FROM THE ARTIST’S ATELIER
SPINE WIDTH = 6mm
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L’Atelier de Barye
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All items are subject to prior sale ISBN:1 901403 16 5
Due to the ambiguities inherent in measuring complex three dimensional objects, the measurements given throughout this catalogue are primarily to provide the reader with a sense of each sculpture’s scale. They are not intended for reference in issues of authentication etc.
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L’Atelier de Barye A group of rare sculptures from the artist’s Atelier and other related works.
15th May - 22nd June 2007
The Sladmore Gallery, 57 Jermyn Street, St. James’s, London SW1Y 6LX. Tel: +44(0) 207 629 1144 email: eh@sladmore.com web: www.sladmore.com
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INTRODUCTION
It is some years since the Sladmore's last selling exhibition dedicated solely to the works of Antoine-Louis Barye. He is without doubt one of France's greatest sculptors of the nineteenth century and his work is to be found in most important museum collections around the world. This year also sees a major show of his work at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, USA, with the exhibits taken not just from their own superb collection but also from The Baltimore Museum of Art. The impressive catalogue that accompanies this exhibition is essential reading for any Barye enthusiast. As art dealers we are often judged by those works we have for sale in our gallery which in turn makes us dependant on what is available. The original inspiration for this exhibition was our good fortune in finding and purchasing a small collection of Barye's plaster and wax working models, bronze master models and atelier castings. In addition, by chance over the last few months we have also acquired fine examples of all three of Barye's largest edited works, each extremely rare on the market today and one an exceptional 'chef-modèle'. Collectively these works, together with our existing stock of Barye bronzes and complemented by some rare drawings, offer a rare insight into this renowned sculptors working practices and unite, we hope, to create an exhibition that is both visually and intellectually stimulating.
Edward Horswell
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List of Exhibits 47. Axis Stag, c.1837…………………………………………...... 48. Axis Deer, 1850………………………………………………. 49. Tortoise, c.1845………………………………………………. 50. Tortoise on a base, 1830………………………………….. 51. Ethiopian Gazelle, 1834…………………………………... 52. Reclining Doe, 1840……………………………………….. 53. Stag in landscape c.1850………………………………….. 54. Outline Stag, c.1840………………………………………… 55. Food Warmer, c.1880………………………………………. 56. Spaniel, c.1840……………………………………………..… 57. Spaniel, c.1840…………………………………………….….. 58. Spaniel, c.1850……………………………………………….. 59. Sleeping Rabbit, c.1840……………………………….…… 60. Crouching Rabbit, c.1840………………………………… 61. Seated Hare, c.1870…………………………………………. 62. Tazza with Vines, c.1845………………………………….. 63. Chimera Incense Burner, c.1850………………....…… 64. Leda and the Swan seal, c.1830…………………………
1. Theseus and the Minotaur, 1843…………………….... page 9 2. Roger and Angelique, 1840…………………………...... page 11 3. Arab on a Camel, 1870………………………………….... page 12 4. Caucasian Warrior, 1870………………………………….. page 12 5. The Tiger Hunt, c.1834……………………………………. page 13 6. Lion and Serpent, 1833………………………………...... page 15 7. Lion and Serpent, 1838…………………………………… page 16 8. Lion and Serpent, sketch 1832……………………....... page 17 9. Standing Lion, c.1835……………………………………... page 17 10. Seated Lion, c.1850……………………………………….... page 18 11. Seated Lion, large version, 1847………………………... page 19 12. Tiger Devouring a Gavial, 1831………………………… page 20 13. Tiger and Gavial, medium version, c.1831...…….... page 23 14. Jaguar Devouring a Hare, 1850…………………….…… page 24 15. Panther of Tunis, c.1860………………………………….. page 26 16. Panther of Tunis, small version, c.1857……………... page 27 17. Tiger Surprising a Stag, c.1835………………………….. page 28 18. Panther and Civet Cat, c.1850………………………….. page 29 19. Panther holding a Gazelle, 1834……………………….. page 30 20. Jaguar with Horse’s Head, 1837………………………... page 31 21. Turkish Horse, left leg raised, c.1840……………….… page 33 22. Turkish Horse, left leg raised c.1850……….………... page 34 23. Half Blood Horse, Head Up, c.1840…………………. page 37 24. Half Blood Horse, Head Down, 1845……………….. page 37 25. Half Blood Horse, Head Up, c.1840…………….….... page 37 26. Rearing Bull, 1841…………………………………………... page 38 27. Study of a Bull, c.1840……………………………….…….. page 38 28. Seated Bear, 1831……………………………………………. page 41 29. Bear in Combat, c.1835………………………………….... page 41 30. Rhino & Tiger, c.1845…………………………………...... page 42 31. Water Buffalo, c.1870…………………………………....... page 43 32. Ape and Gnu, c.1840…………………………………....... page 44 33. Gnu, c.1840………………………………………………....... page 45 34. Cochin Elephant, c.1870………………………………..... page 46 35. Cochin Elephant, c.1870………………………………..... page 46 36. Elephant in Landscape, c.1835……………….…………. page 47 37. Asian Elephant, c.1850………………………………….…. page 47 38. Asian Elephant, c.1850…………………………….…....... page 47 39. Elephant of Senegal bookends, c.1900…………….... page 48 40. Elephant of Senegal, c.1870…………………………...... page 48 41. Elephant of Senegal, large version c.1870…………... page 50 42. Walking Pheasant, head right, c.1840……………...... page 53 43. Walking Pheasant, head right, c.1840……………...... page 53 44. Parrot with head right, c. 1840…………………….….... page 53 45. Parrot with head left, c. 1840………………………….... page 53 46. Virginia Stag, c.1875………………………………….…..... page 54
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Catalogue
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Theseus and the Minotaur, 1843 (Thésée combattant le Minotaure) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1860 Height: 18˝ (46cm), Length: 12˝ (30cm) ‘Feuille d’automne’ patina of orangey brown with green and black undertones. Horswell p.54, Pivar p.84, P&R p.106
Renowned as an animalier without equal, Barye also completed around twelve works that have a mythological theme. Perhaps his attraction to these subjects lay in the fact that many of them involve half-man half-beast creatures thus giving full reign to his imagination and skill. Theseus and the Minotaur is no exception and whilst close to a dozen other similar works exist in nineteenth century European sculpture none have the close-coupled tension and vitality of Barye’s version. The idea for this particular pose is thought to have come from a drawing by Gericault originally in Barye’s collection and now at the Walters Art Museum. Two versions exists of this subject of which this cast is the rare early version. Barye entered the plaster model along with two ‘studies’ of Bulls at the Salon of 1843, however all were refused. The bronze was finally accepted in 1851 when it met with immediate critical acclaim. This cast is a wonderful example from the sculptors own atelier dating from shortly after Barye regained control of his models from Martin in 1857. The attention to detail and finishing of the cast are of a high standard and the patina is a fine multicoloured mix of his signicature browns, greens and black. Few lifetime examples of this version exist as firstly production of a model of this scale would not have been large in Barye’s own atelier and secondly he released a second version in 1857 with a more worked surface and decorative base. In addition, posthumous casts are also rare as the rights of reproduction were bought by Brame at the Vente Barye of 1876 and few examples from his workshop are known, although many exist of the second version the rights to which were purchased by Barbedienne. This model is without doubt one of Barye’s greatest works and when exhibited at the Exposition Universelle of 1855, Achille Deveria described it as: ‘a small masterpiece in the antique style’. The cast from this exhibition is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and other examples are to be found in many major museums.
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Roger and Angelique, 1840 (Angélique et Roger, montés sur l’Hippogriffe) Bronze, atelier Barye/Brame, cast circa 1875 Height: 21˝ (53cm), Length: 28˝ (71cm) ‘Feuille d’automne’ patina of orangey brown with green and black undertones Horswell p.43, Pivar p.81, P&R p.94
Whilst not a classical subject, this work is of a similar theme to Barye’s other mythylogical pieces and is one of his most spectacular sculptures. Originally commissioned by the Duke de Montpensier around 1840, Barye’s inspiration came from Ariosto’s epic poem Orlando Furioso , a series of chivalric romances centered around the hapless pursuit of the beautiful Angelica. In his first version, of which there are only three known examples, Barye modelled the Hippogriff, a mythological animal half-horse half-griffin, with its beak open. This was subsequently altered, and the final finished version has the Hippogriff’s beak closed. Despite this subtle change few examples were cast during Barye’s lifetime, perhaps because it is unlike any other in his oeuvre and also, listed at FF800 it was also one of his most expensive works. This current fine quality example dates from around the end of Barye’s life. It was Brame who had purchased the rights of reproduction for this final version at the Vente Barye of 1876 and, as he cleverly used many of the artisans working in Barye’s atelier including Henri Coupens (credited with many of the outstanding patinas found on Barye bronzes), it is often hard to date these works exactly. Whatever it’s exact date, this is a fine cast of this outstanding model, examples of which are rarely seen on the market today. It is unique in Barye’s oeuvre both for its subject matter and with the exception of his rare desk seal of Leda and the Swan (see cat. no. 64) for its erotic undertones. Despite its size it has a rare jewel-like quality, which perhaps harks back to Barye’s days with the goldsmith Fauconnier and is a tour de force of nineteenth century European sculpture.
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Arab on a Camel, 1870 (Dromadaire monté par un Arabe) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1870 Height: 91/2˝ (25cm), Length: 8˝ (20cm) Green patina with orangey-brown undertones. Pivar p.89, P&R p.89
This model first appeared in Barye’s last sales catalogue of 1874 but the fine quality of this atelier cast would indicate that it was produced a few years earlier. It is not possible to say exactly when Barye finished this model but it probably dates from the late 1860’s and lifetime casts are rare. The rights of reproduction were purchased at the Vente Barye of 1876 by Delafontaine who cast the piece up until at least 1905, however posthumous examples are few.
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Caucasian Warrior, 1870 (Guerrier du Caucase) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1870 Height: 8˝ (20cm), Length: 7˝ (18cm) Green, black and medium brown patina. Pivar p.87, P&R p.78.
Like the Arab on a Camel, this model also first appeared in Barye’s sales catalogue of 1874. The rights of reproduction were again purchased by Delafontaine whose castings were stamped AD surmounted by a star. The present example is however a rare fine quality example from the sculptor’s atelier, circa 1870.
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The Tiger Hunt, c.1834 (Chasse au Tigre) 3 drawings, pencil and charcoal on paper. Each stamped with the ‘Vente Barye’ sale stamp: ‘BARYE’ Height: 41/2˝ (11.5cm), Length: 4˝ (10cm) Height: 41/2˝ (11cm), Length: 5˝ (13cm) Height: 51/2˝ (14cm), Length: 31/2˝ (9cm)
A rare set of three working drawings directly related to one of Barye’s famed hunt groups commissioned by the Duc d’Orleans in 1834. The Tiger Hunt was the largest of the five principle hunt groups and was destined to sit atop a triumphant arch surrounded by the four lesser hunt groups (see P & R p.432 for a sketch of this proposed grouping). Originally these three drawings were mounted together in one frame and are probably the work listed in Poletti and Richarme as CS83 on page 433, incorrectly assumed to be a plaster. They were exhibited in 1889 at the important Barye exhibition, on loan from the Villedieu-Barye Collection.
fig 1.
Tiger Hunt, 1836, bronze, courtesy of The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.
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Lion and Serpent, 1833 (Lion au Serpent – Lion des Tuileries) Bronze chef modèle, cast circa 1876 Height: 23˝ (58cm), Length: 30˝ (75cm) Rich dark green patina with black undertones Horswell p.58, Pivar p.138, P&R p.174
The model of the Lion and Serpent was first shown as a life-size plaster example at the Salon of 1832 and it is one of Barye’s best known works with at least five smaller variants produced by him during his lifetime. Most of these were edited in some numbers both during his lifetime and posthumously. The present work is a half lifesize version remodelled by Barye and first shown in bronze at the Exposition Universelle of 1855. Few further casts of this model were made by Barye during his lifetime and it was listed in his various sales catalogues without dimensions or price. At the Vente Barye of 1876 the rights of reproduction for this model were sold as lot no. 493 and unusually did not include a bronze chef-modèle, only the studio plaster. Bearing in mind the large scale of this work this is not surprising, indeed no chef-modèle in bronze was produced by Barye for the life-size Lion and Serpent or for the one metre Tiger and Gavial (see cat. no.12). Furthermore, very few lifetime casts would have been made of any of the larger works by Barye – in fact only one was made of his most famous work, the life-size Lion and Serpent – thus it was not practical or economical for him to produce a bronze chef-modèle. At the studio dispersal sale of 1876 this model was bought by Hector Brame, along with over 70 other works with rights of reproduction. Confident that with the right promotion he would generate multiple sales for all his Barye works he set about commissioning chef-modèles where necessary. Thus the present unique work was made for Brame shortly after 1876 and was used to make the sand moulds from which the subsequent bronze edition would have been produced. Despite going to this considerable expense, few examples are known today of this rare mid-scale model (for one example see ‘Untamed-The Art of Antoine-Louis Barye’ cat.no.17, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, 18 February to 6 May 2007, on loan from the Baltimore Museum of Art, The Jacob Epstein Collection).
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After the success of his life-size Lion and Serpent which was purchased in bronze by the state and is now in the Louvre Museum, Barye modelled in 1838 this version which became the most popular of all the renditions of the Lion and Serpent and is without doubt one of the emblematic Barye sculptures. It was also one of the most successful models during the Martin years with twenty eight casts listed in the accounts as being sold between 1850 and 1857. The present example is a fine quality example from the years after Barye’s association with Martin when he had regained control of his models and was producing bronzes with his signature ‘feuille d’automne’ patina. Examples of this model are to be found in most major museums.
Lion and Serpent, 1838 (Lion au Serpent no.1) Bronze, cast circa 1865 Height: 10˝ (26cm), Length: 13˝ (33cm) ‘Feuille d’automne’ patina of orangey brown with green and black undertones Horswell p.59, Pivar p.139, P&R p.175
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Standing Lion, c.1835 (Le Lion, equisse) Drawing, pencil on paper. Stamped with the ‘Vente Barye’ sale stamp: ‘BARYE’ Height: 5˝ (13cm), Length: 8˝ (20cm)
A rare working drawing, heightened with watercolour, sold at the Vente Barye studio dispersal sale of 1876.
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Lion and Serpent, sketch 1832
Whilst Barye’s first success at the all important Salon was in 1831 with the Tiger and Gavial, the Lion and Serpent shown two years later captured the imagination of the public to a far greater extent. This may well have been because it was felt to have a political implication in its subject and much has been written about its association with the July Monarchy. This version is a true sketch and cast in bronze by 1832 probably predates the lifesize version which was only shown at the Salon of 1833 in plaster. Poletti and Richarme state that it was Barye’s preferred version out of the five separate models he produced of this iconic subject. This cast is a fine example made shortly after the model’s inception and was originally part of the Sarlin Collection which was dispersed at the Hotel Drouot auction rooms in a one owner sale in 1918 (see also fig.2).
(Lion au Serpent no.3, esquisse) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1835 Height: 5˝ (13cm), Length: 7˝ (17cm) ‘Feuille d’automne’ patina of orangey brown with green and black undertones Horswell p.60, Pivar p.141, P&R p.178 Provenance: Collection Sarlin
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Seated Lion, c.1850 (Lion Assis no.2) Plaster with applied wax working model, atelier Barye, circa 1850 Height: 8˝ (20cm), Length: 6˝ (16cm) Horswell p.62, Pivar p.144, P&R p.182 Provenance: Vente Barye, 1876, lot no.664 or 665 Vente Collection Jacques Zoubaloff, 16-17 June 1927, catalogue no.204, illustrated Private Collection, France
Stage one of Barye's recognised working practice began with his modelling the subject in a soft medium such as wax. Bearing in mind the instability of this first medium and the length of time that Barye worked and reworked each piece before arriving at a prototype, he would mould this wax and cast a plaster. The second and perhaps most important stage then began with Barye working this plaster original, pairing down the surface in some areas and adding with the application of soft wax in other areas. It was these plaster and wax originals that would become the finished prototype from which the first bronze chef-modèle would be cast. Due to their obvious fragility, very few of these plasters survived and those that did are almost all the reserve of museum collections worldwide. We presume that along with the Panther of Tunis chef-modèle (see cat.no.15) this rare working model was purchased by Monsieur Lambert from the Zoubaloff Collection Sale of 1927 as they both formed part of a private collection acquired by the gallery earlier this year. The original inspiration for this piece was a commission for a pair of lifesize lions to be placed in the Tuileries Gardens in 1846. They were later moved, to the Quai-side at the Louvre in 1867, where they reside today. Barye worked with the Seated Lion composition to produce five versions of the model in varying sizes of which this is the smallest. Listed in Poletti and Richarme’s excellent catalogue raisonnee under ‘Lion Assis no.3’ as whereabouts unknown, this working model actually relates to ‘Lion Assis no.2’.
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Seated Lion, large version, 1847 (Lion Assis no.1) Bronze, atelier Barye/Brame, cast circa 1875 Height: 15˝ (38cm), Length: 12˝ (30cm) Reddy brown patina with black undertones. Horswell p.62, Pivar p.145, P&R p.181
Barye’s first seated and standing lions preserved a certain heraldic symmetry and nobility. He created some half dozen distinct seated lions, all in association with his commission to design two lions for what became known as the ‘Port des Lions’ of the Palais du Louvre. These can still be seen today, but the bronzes that led up to them are by far the more characteristic of the artist’s modelling skills. While the pose is conventional and ornamental in the present piece, the grand mane distantly evokes the extravagant wigs of French monarchs. There is also, already the sense of Barye’s fascination with the form of the animal’s limbs and the gathered strength of the physique. The artist is playing here with the calm repose that contains the ferocious power depicted in his more violent lion sculptures. This good quality cast is the rare, large Seated Lion, which in comparison with the three smaller models was cast in far fewer numbers. Like the Roger and Angelique, (cat.no.2), the rights of reproduction for this model were bought by Brame in 1876 and this cast dates from around this period.
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Tiger Devouring a Gavial, 1831 (Tigre dévorant un Gavial, grandeur originale) Bronze, Brame Fondeur, cast circa 1880 Height: 16˝ ( 40cm), Length: 41˝ (105cm) Medium brown patina with green undertones Horswell p.66, Pivar p.158, P&R p.204
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The inspiration for Barye’s Tiger and Gavial is not certain but was possibly a painting by a little known English artist James Northcote. Whilst his rendition of a Tiger looking warily at a Crocodile differs considerably from Barye’s finished sculpture, Northcote also painted around 1800 another painting of a Lion and Serpent which is in composition strikingly similar to Barye’s famous model completed some thirty years later. This may be mere coincidence and what is probably more relevant was the arrival of a live tiger in Paris in 1829 with Henry Martin’s travelling menagerie, shortly followed by the arrival of a Bengal tiger at the Jardin des Plantes in August 1830. Whatever the inspiration, the sculpture’s arrival at the Salon of 1831 caused a sensation. It broke with tradition, was full of passion and drama and was the product of a creative, Romantic imagination. Along with his other Salon entries of the same year, it was instrumental in revolutionising sculpture and Barye was awarded a second place medal.
Delacroix, his frequent companion at the Jardin des Plantes remarked, ‘I wish I could put a twist in a tiger’s tail like that man’ and it was pronounced ‘the strongest and most original work in the exhibition’. Only two lifetime bronze casts are known of this model, one in the Louvre cast in lost wax in 1832 by Honore Gonon and the second in the Musee de Dunkerque. Barye chose to produce no chef modele in bronze, a further indication that few casts were made during his lifetime. Once again it was Brame who purchased the rights to this model and he who is responsible for the few bronze casts that exists today. The importance of this work both to the making of Barye’s reputation but also to the development of modern sculpture can not be overlooked. It had a profound influence on sculptors of the day as the art critic Charles Blanc wrote at the time of the Barye retrospective ‘I do not know what the public thought of these works, but all the artists of the new school (Romanticism) were astonished and enraptured. They found there what they had vainly sought in the works of their elders, the true perception of life, of truth, of liberty’.
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Tiger and Gavial, medium version, c.1831 (Tigre dévorant un Gavial) Bronze, atelier Barye/Brame, cast circa 1875 Height: 8˝ (20cm), Length: 20˝ (51cm), Dark green patina with medium brown and black undertones. Horswell p.66, Pivar p.158, P&R p.205
This first reduction was first edited by Barye in 1845 and from the surviving account book of the Martin Barye partnership we know that he sold ten casts of this version between 1850 and 1857. The rights of reproduction were purchased in 1876 by Brame and this example is from around this change over period.
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Jaguar Devouring a Hare, 1850 (Jaguar dévorant un Lièvre) Bronze,‘Collection Barbedienne’ cast circa 1877 Height: 16˝ (40cm), Length: 41˝ (104cm) Medium brown patina with black undertones Horswell p.61, Pivar p.170, P&R p.236
Another masterpiece, this model from midway through the sculptor’s working life, marked a turning point for the artist. The Jaguar and Hare is, along with the Tiger and Gavial (cat.no.12) and the Lion and Serpent (cat.no.6), one of the three largest works edited by Barye during his lifetime. Few life-time casts were made although Barye did produce a chef-modèle in bronze. This chefmodèle along with the rights of reproduction was purchased by Barbedienne in 1876 and he proceeded to cast some fine quality examples in the years that followed. The present example is a ‘Collection Barbedienne’ marked cast, and was produced to their highest capabilities. The year 1850 marked Barye’s return to the Salon after an absence of thirteen years and he exhibited several works including his original plaster of the Jaguar and Hare. Gustave Planche wrote that Barye’s entries that year were ‘the crowning glory of his experimentation of twenty years’. Two years later
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when he showed a bronze cast of this group, commissioned by the state, the well known art critic Edmond de Goncourt concluded that the art of sculpture had arrived at a point similar to one that he had identified in painting, ‘Nature has succeeded man. It represents the evolution of modern art’*. Three years later at the Universal Exposition of 1855 it was awarded the Grand Medal of Honour which prompted Theophile Gautier to write ‘Barye does not treat the animal form strictly from a zoological point of view. He agrandises, he simplifies and idealises and gives style to the forms. He has a fierce, energetic and rude manner which makes him the Michaelangelo of the menagerie’. Whilst the Tiger and Gavial was the starting point for a break with tradition, with the Jaguar and Hare, Barye really brought sculpture into the modern age. Irrespective of its subject matter, it is a sculpture that demands to be viewed in the round and whilst three smaller reductions exist of the model it is only in its original scale that the strength of the forms can be truly appreciated. It’s influence on other artists of the period is without question, it is also of interest to note that some fifty years later when just starting on his own sculptural journey, Henri Matisse (1869-1954) chose from all on display at the Louvre Museum the Jaguar and Hare as the inspiration for his first work. * See ‘Untamed, The Art of Antoine-Louis Barye’, p.166.
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Panther of Tunis, c.1860 (Panthère de Tunis no.1) Bronze chef-modèle, atelier Barye, cast circa 1860 Height: 5˝ (13cm), Length: 11˝ (28cm) Medium brown patina with dark brown undertones Horswell p.64, Pivar p.166, P&R p.221 Provenance: Barye Sale of 1876, no.706 Collection Barbedienne Barbedienne Collection Sale, 1889, lot 17 Collection Jacques Zoubaloff Vente Collection Zoubaloff, 1929, lot no.86 Monsieur Lambert, purchased at the above sale
Barye's complex working practice involved casting a chef-modèle in bronze from each sculpture's finished plaster and wax prototype. This chef-modèle was hand-finished to a high standard after casting in bronze and was used as the pattern for all subsequent sand-cast examples of the bronze edition. At the Vente Barye of 1876, the rights of reproduction of Barye's sculptures were sold as individual lots and included the bronze chef-modèle. The present piece was lot 702 and was purchased for the Barbedienne foundry who immediately after the sale inscribed the lot number underneath. The additional inscription 'no.1' refers to the model's size, which in this case is the large version. These chef-modèles are rarely on the market today as most already reside in museums. The great turn of the century art collector Jacques Zoubaloff much admired Barye's work and purchased many pieces from Barbedienne both privately and at the Barbedienne Collection Sale in 1889 where this chefmodèle was lot 17. It was subsequently purchased for 14,600FF by a ‘Monsieur Lambert’ in the Zoubaloff Collection Sale of 1929.
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Panther of Tunis, small version, c.1857
to be made using this technique. However he realised that it was too expensive for use in the editioning of his work and for this he relied on sand casting which he carried out to a high standard. He also, along the way, experimented with other casting techiques and one that particularly interested him was electro-forming. Like electroplating this involves the deposit of a base metal onto a prepared surface by the use of electricity and a liquid bath. Electroplating deposits a very thin layer onto the outside surface of a metal object and is used for silver plating, etc. Electroforming deposits a much thicker layer sufficient to give the finished object rigidity and stand alone strength. It is generally deposited onto the inside of a negative mould so that the finished thickness does not impact on the final surface detail of the piece – ie. it works from the top surface inwards. Despite being many times thicker than the deposit left by electroplating, objects that are electroformed are usually backed up with an independent support. In this case Barye has chosen lead which can be clearly seen on the photograph of the inside of the sculpture. This process is only suitable for use with objects that have a visible underbase, a model of a horse for example would not work. So why would have Barye experimented with electroforming and what are its advantages? The principal reason is that the negative mould can be made of a relatively inexpensive substance such as plaster as one is not pouring moulten metal into it. Secondly, the plaster mould can be made directly from the artist’s original working model and the resulting electroformed ‘bronze’ is thus a first generation cast made straight from this, as opposed to a second generation cast in the case of a sand or wax casting. Thus the detail of the finished work is especially crisp and much closer to the artist’s original working model. One can clearly see in the above photographs the wonderful surface detail of this work, which even exceeds that of the chef-modèle for the larger version.
(Panthère de Tunis no.2) Electroformed bronze backed up with lead, atelier Barye, cast circa 1857 Height: 4˝ (9cm), Length: 8˝ (20cm) Medium brown patina with dark brown undertones. Horswell p.64, Pivar p.166, P&R p.222
One of the factors that sets Barye apart from other sculptors of the nineteenth century was that he was a true ‘Renaissance man’. He loved to experiment with both modelling techniques and especially casting methods. We know that he much admired the lost wax casting process as he ordered his most important commissions
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Tiger Surprising a Stag, c.1835 (Tigre surprenant un Cerf) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1860 Height: 7˝ (17cm), Length: 12˝ (31cm) Dark brown patina with reddy brown highlights. Pivar p.158, P&R p.203
An early combat piece for Barye and the preliminary model for a stone sculpture the sculptor made for the city of Lyon. Despite this important connection, few casts seem to have been made during the Martin years and Poletti and Richarme estimate less than twenty between 1857 and Barye’s death in 1875. Rights to the posthumous edition were purchased by Brame.
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Panther and Civet Cat, c.1850 (Panthère surprenant un Zibeth) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1860 Height: 4˝ (11cm), Length: 9˝ (22cm) Dark brown patina with light brown highlights. Horswell p.73, Pivar p.166, P&R p.223
This energetic model dates from the late 1840’s and is less romantic in composition than earlier works such as the Tiger Surprising a Stag of 1835 (see cat.no.17). Barye cast examples of two slightly different versions of this model although examples of either are rare. The founder Peyrol purchased the chef-modèle at the Barye Vente of 1876 and subsequently also cast a larger version.
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Panther holding a Gazelle, 1834 (Panthère tenant une Gazelle) Plaster with applied wax working model, atelier Barye, modelled circa 1834 Height: 3˝ (7cm), Length: 8˝ (21cm) P&R p.227 Provenance: Vente Barye, 1876, lot no.474, purchased by Romain Vente Collection Jacques Zoubaloff, 16-17 June 1927, catalogue no.199 (illustrated). Private Collection, France
first bronze chef-modèle would be cast. Due to their obvious fragility, very few of these plasters survived and those that did are almost all in museum collections worldwide.
Stage one of Barye's recognised working practice began with his modelling the subject in a soft medium such as wax. Bearing in mind the instability of this first medium and the length of time that Barye worked and reworked each piece before arriving at a prototype, he would mould this wax and cast a plaster. The second and perhaps most important stage then began with Barye working this plaster original, pairing down the surface in some areas and adding with the application of soft wax in other areas. It was these plaster and wax originals that would become the finished prototype from which the
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Jaguar with Horse’s Head, 1837
An early model, dating from the late 1830’s and one that appeared in Barye’s first sales catalogue issued by Maison Besse in 1844 where it was titled Jaguar avec une proie. Few lifetime cast were made of this sculpture and only four are listed in the Martin account books for the years 1850-1857. This is a particularly early cast before Barye had finalised the exact proportions of the base.
(Jaguar couché tenant une tête de Cheval) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1840 Height: 3˝ (7cm), Length: 9˝ (23cm) Medium brown patina with dark brown undertones. Pivar p.169, P&R p.234
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Turkish Horse, left leg raised, c.1840 (Cheval Turc no.2, antérieur gauche levé, terrasse carrée) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1865 Height: 11˝ (28cm), Length: 11˝ (28cm) Medium brown patina with dark brown and green undertones. Pivar p.222, P&R p.265
Antoine-Louis Barye's "Turkish Horse" is one of the quintessential statements of Romanticism, and a definitive image of the horse in Western art. It is one of Barye's great masterpieces. It has origins in the horses of classical sculpture such as the Parthenon Frieze (The Elgin Marbles), and in great Italian renaissance equestrian pieces by sculptors such as Cellini and Verroccio. It has profound resonances with other great nineteenth century depictions of the horse, such as paintings by Delacroix, Stubbs and Gericault. The enigmatic appeal of this, probably Barye's best known sculpture, has much to do with the animal's precise pose of arrested, reined-in power. The viewer is unconsciously aware of an element of narrative action implied in an otherwise seemingly 'pure' equestrian study. Indeed, certain related works on paper by the artist e.g. one in the Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, another in the Fabius Collection, Paris, another formerly in the Sarlin Collection, Paris (see fig.2) show the same horse mounted by an Arab Rider and even attacked by a lion. Yet it is the absence of such 'explanatory' accessories in the final bronze that also give it much of its power, opening it up to broader psychological and symbolic interpretation, while also leaving the viewer free to savour the sheer observational and expressive power of the piece. The present example is a fine quality ‘atelier’ cast finished in the sculptor’s workshop around 1865. Barbedienne bought the rights of reproduction of this model in 1876 and produced a large number of posthumous castings, many of good quality, however lifetime examples of this work are rare.
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fig 2.
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Turkish Horse, left leg raised c.1850 (Cheval Turc no.2, antérieur gauche levé, terasse ovale) Bronze, atelier Barye, circa 1855 Height: 11˝ (27.9cm), Length: 111/2˝ (29.2cm). Medium brown patina with dark brown undertones Horswell p.38 (model with right leg raised), Pivar p.222, P&R p.267
The present work is a rare atelier cast made whilst Barye was experimenting with remounting his original Cheval Turc, terrasse carrée (see cat.no.21) which he had first modelled in 1840. For whatever reason he had decided to make some minor changes to the head and tail of the Stallion and also to place it on to a more naturalistic base. The finished new model’s base was oval rather than rectangular and higher than this intermediary version. It was edited by Barye from 1857, after he had ended his partnership with Martin and repurchased his existing models, up until his death in 1875. For some reason neither the left nor right leg raised, oval based Turkish Horse was offered for sale at the Vente Barye of 1876 with rights of reproduction. This cast has a fine chiselled surface with an unusual thin, almost translucent brown patina, reminiscent of that found on some early stamped and numbered casts. Bearing in mind its position in the chain of development of a new Barye model it would certainly have been a casting in which the sculptor himself was closely involved. To date we know of only one other example of this model on the reduced base which is in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Henry Dexter Sharpe Collection, 1956.165.
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Arab on Horseback, c.1840 (Arabe monté au Cheval) Watercolour on paper, Height: 8˝ (20cm), Length: 6˝ (15.5cm) Provenance: Collection Louis Sarlin, 1918, (sale no.73) Private Collection, London
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Half Blood Horse, Head Up, c.1840 (Cheval Demi-Sang, tête levée)
(Cheval Demi-Sang, tête levée)
Bronze, atelier Barye, cold stamped ‘BARYE 16’, cast circa 1845 Height: 5˝ (13cm), Length: 7˝ (18cm) Medium brown patina with dark brown undertones Horswell p.48, Pivar p.220, P&R p.261
Bronze chef-modèle, atelier Barye, cast circa1840. Height: 5˝ (13.9cm), Length: 7˝ (18cm) Reddy brown patina Horswell p.48, Pivar p.220, P&R p.261 Provenance:Vente Barye, 1876, lot no.702 purchased by Goupil for Barbedienne Vente Barbedienne, 1889, lot no.41 purchased by Zoubaloff Vente Zoubaloff, 1927 lot no.174 sold at FF9000 Collection Eduardo Guinle, Brazil Guinle Collection Sale, Christies New York, 2003, lot 33
A fine quality cast dating from the years of Barye’s association with Martin. This and the following bronze are classic casts from this period, displaying the characteristic clear medium brown patina and the cold stamped BARYE signature and number.
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Half Blood Horse, Head Up, c.1840
A rare foundry ‘chef-modèle’ used by successive ‘editeurs’ to make the sand impressions into which the moulton bronze would be poured. This work formed part of the celebrated Guinle Collection of nearly 200 Barye bronzes, amongst which were at least a dozen other ‘chef-modèles’. The first edition of this model dates from the early 1840’s and it was subsequently cast by Martin with some success. Barye produced a number of casts between 1857 and his death in 1875. The model was cast posthumously by Barbedienne and it is overall one of Barye’s most popular and successful smaller horse sculptures. It is not a reduction of a larger model but a separate smaller work, indeed the large version was only first edited by Barye shortly before his death.
Half Blood Horse, Head Down, 1845 (Cheval Demi-Sang, tête baissée) Bronze, atelier Barye, cold stamped ‘BARYE 9’, cast circa 1845 Height: 5˝ (13cm), Length: 7˝ (18cm) Medium brown patina with dark brown undertones. Horswell p.49, Pivar p.219, P&R p.260
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Rearing Bull, 1841 (Taureau cabré) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1860 Height: 9˝ (23cm), Length: 11˝ (28cm). Brown patina with reddy highlights Horswell p.74, Pivar p.227, P&R p.324
One of Barye’s most spirited single animals, this Rearing Bull was also modelled by Barye attacked by a Tiger. Both groups were successful during the sculptor’s life with around twenty examples of each cast in bronze. Both models were also cast with great success by Barbedienne who had bought the rights in 1876. The ‘chef-modèle’ of the Rearing Bull is today in the Louvre Museum, a gift of Jacques Zoubaloff in 1914. The present example is an outstanding, fine quality lifetime example produced in Barye’s atelier circa 1860. It has a crisp, detailed surface and a wonderful brown patina with tones of red showing through the lighter brown.
27.
Study of a Bull, c.1840 (Étude d’un Taureau) Charcoal and watercolour on paper Stamped with the ‘Vente Barye’ sale stamp: ‘BARYE’ Height: 41/2˝ (11cm), Length: 7˝ (18cm)
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Seated Bear, 1831 (Ours assis, esquisse) Bronze, H.Gonon Fondeur, dated 1833 Reddy brown patina with dark brown undertones Height: 8˝ (19cm), Length: 8˝ (19cm) P&R p.403 Vente Schoeller, 1956, lot no72, illustrated, FF280,000 Private Collection, London
This exceptional bronze is a very rare, lost wax cast, inscribed ‘FONDU PAR HONORE GONON ET SES DEUX FILS – 1833’. We know that Barye’s preferred choice of casting method was the lost wax process as all his major commissions were cast this way. Most of these were carried out by Gonon who unusually always marked his castings with this rather personal foundry inscription. One feels that perhaps he was working at the outset of experimentation into lost wax casting, and along with his two sons he was pushing the boundaries of available knowledge to produce a finished bronze of hitherto unexpected quality. He certainly achieved that with this present example, which is surely one of the finest castings of the nineteenth century and akin to works produced seventy years later in the famed ‘lost wax’ foundry of A.A.Hebrard. It is with out doubt also a direct casting, ie made straight from the sculptor’s working model without any intermediary mould which might have reduced the retention of detail. One can see Barye’s fingerprints as he worked the wax surface and also the almost impasto surface detail he has used to give the impression of the bear’s shaggy coat. It is a pity that the lost wax casting process was felt too expensive for the editioning of bronzes at this time as it is only with these rare works that we are able to see the extent to which Barye chose to add surface detail to his finished models.
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Bear in Combattant, c.1835 (Ours combat7tant) Pencil drawing. Height: 31/2˝ (9cm), Length: 61/2˝ (16cm) Provenance: Madame Vildieu-Barye, fille de A.L.Barye; Fernand Fabius, Paris
This drawing is a working sketch for Barye’s famous sculpture ‘Taureau terrassé par un Ours’ modelled in the late 1830’s around the same time that he was working on the hunt groups for the Duc d’Orleans.
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Rhino & Tiger, c.1845 (Rhinocéros attaquant un tigre) Terracotta, unique. Height: 5˝ (12cm), Length: 8˝ (19cm) P&R p.473 (CS248) Provenance: Gift by Barye to the painter Paul Huet Collection Perret-Carnot, London, 1969, no.131 Private Collection, London
A rare terracotta working model of a subject that Barye never finalized as no other plasters or bronzes are known. Similar to his Elephant Crushing a Tiger of circa 1845 this terracotta is considerably smaller in size and is probably Barye’s first sketch model from which he would have gone on to model a finished work.
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Water Buffalo, c.1870
Another later model only listed for the first time in Barye’s sale catalogue of 1874, the year before his death. Poletti and Richarme estimate that there were probably less than ten lifetime casts made of his charming model, and only one was included in the studio inventory of 1875 and again listed in the Vente Barye catalogue of 1876. Certainly almost no lifetime casts have appeared on the market in the last twenty five years and the edition as we know it today is comprised of castings from the Barbedienne foundry. The present example is a rare ‘gold seal’ cast from circa 1877 shortly after Barbedienne had purchased the chef-modèle and the rights of reproduction. It is a fine quality cast and has been patinated with Barye’s signature ‘feuilles d’automne’ blend of mid browns and greens. For an animal that Barye would have seen only occasionally he has, as is typical in all his work, captured it’s character perfectly, it’s bovine calm is subtly portrayed and it’s stretching neck gives movement to the model despite it’s static pose.
(Buffle d’eau) Bronze, Barbedienne Foundry, cast circa 1877 with the inset gold ‘FB’ seal. Height: 6˝ (15.5cm), Length: 9˝ (23cm), Orangey brown and green patina. Horswell p.76, Pivar p.230, P&R p.327
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Ape and Gnu, c.1840 (Singe monté sur un Gnou) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1870 Height: 9˝ (22cm), Length: 101/2˝ (27cm) Reddy brown patina with dark brown highlights. Horswell p.51, Pivar p.112, P&R p.121
First edited by Barye around 1840 this model is atypical of his work. The inspiration for this whimsical subject is derived from an illustration by the famous English painter Thomas Landseer (17951880) that was first published in 1832 in John Henry Barrow’s book ‘Characteristic Sketches of Animals, Principally in the Zoological Gardens, Regents Park’. Barye was well read on all zoological topics, had a very extensive library of his own and was a frequent visitor to the many libraries of Paris. Further inspiration came from the arrival in 1836 at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris of a Sumatran Orangatan.
Despite dying the following year, his good humour immediately endeared him to all who saw him and he was affectionally known as ‘Jack’. The present example is a fine quality cast, produced around the end of Barye’s life, either in his own atelier or possibly slightly later by Brame who bought the rights to this model.
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Gnu, c.1840 (Gnou) Bronze, atelier Barye/Brame, cast circa 1875 Height: 7˝ (17cm), Length: 12˝ (30cm) ‘Feuille d’automne’ patina of orangey brown with green and black undertones Pivar p.113, P&R p.122
Following the success of the Ape and Gnu, Barye reworked the Gnu and included it as a stand alone model in his final sales catalogue of 1874. Very few casts would have been made by Barye and the posthumous Brame edition is also very small.
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Cochin Elephant, c.1870
Modelled late on in Barye’s life this work first appeared in his last sales catalogue of 1874. Few lifetime casts exist and it is interesting to compare the quality of the two examples illustrated. The patina of the earlier example is multicoloured which in turn helps one to see the form of the sculpture and the detail of the casting. The detail of the slightly later example is marginally weaker and also the more uniform patina makes it harder to pick it out. However the quality of the detail is not the sole judge of a good casting and in Barye’s work excessive detail can be an indication of a casting produced nearer the turn of the century.
(Éléphant de Cochinchine) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1870 Height: 6˝ (15cm), Length: 101/2˝ (27cm) ‘Feuille d’automne’ patina of orangey brown with green and black undertones Horswell p.7, Pivar p.173, P&R p.250
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Cochin Elephant, c.1870 (Éléphant de Cochinchine) Bronze, atelier Barye/Brame, cast circa 1875 Height: 6˝ (15cm), Length: 10˝ (26cm) Green and brown patina Horswell p.7, Pivar p.173, P&R p.250
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Elephant in Landscape, c.1835 (Éléphant en paysage) Pencil on paper Inscribed ‘Langles tour 2eme.’ Height: 5˝ (13cm), Length: 81/2˝ (21.5cm)
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Asian Elephant, c.1850 (Éléphant d’Asie) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1860 Height: 5˝ (13cm), Length: 7˝ (18cm) Reddy brown patina with dark brown undertones Pivar p.176, P&R p.249
38.
Asian Elephant, c.1850 (Éléphant d’Asie) Bronze, Brame Fondeur, cast circa 1890 Height: 5˝ (13cm), Length: 7˝ (18cm) Medium brown patina Pivar p.176, P&R p.249
Modelled around 1850 this sculpture was immediately popular and a number of fine quality lifetime examples exist such as cat. no.37. If we compare this with cat. no.38 we can see a marked difference in quality between the lifetime example and the Brame cast. The former boasts a fine multicoloured patina, a worked surface with texture and detail and a more robust form. The latter has a dull flat brown patina and most importantly, coarsely added detail unsympathetic to Barye’s original modelling, in the form of small incisions to the body and over deep lines running down the trunk of the animal. It is this ‘added detail’ that can be confusing to the new collector as to them this may make the cast seem one of good quality when in fact it is a later cast overworked to suit the taste of the time.
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40.
Elephant of Senegal bookends, c.1900
Elephant of Senegal, c.1870 (Éléphant du Sénégal) Bronze, Barbedienne Foundry, cast circa 1877 with the inset gold ‘FB’ seal. Height: 51/2˝ (13.5cm), Length: 8˝ (21cm) Green and black patina. Horswell p.5, Pivar p.175, P&R p.251
(Paire d’Éléphants du Sénégal, serre livres) Bronze, ‘Cast By Griffoul, Newark, NJ’, c.1900 Height: 4 3/4˝ (12.1cm), Length: 7 3/4˝ (19.7cm) Green patina with black undertones Horswell p.5, Pivar p.175, P&R p.251
An unusual adaption of one of Barye’s most popular models carried out by the New York based foundry Griffoul at the end of the nineteenth century. Quite whether this was done with permission from the heirs of the sculptor or the owner of the editing rights – Barbedienne we do not know, however the presence of a foundry mark would imply that some form of agreement was reached.
Modelled late in the sculptor’s life, few casts exist from Barye’s atelier. However under the editioning of Barbedienne this work was one of the most commercially successful of all Barye’s works. Such was its success that in 1887 Barbedienne produced both a reduction, height 7cm and also an enlargement at 26cm. The present example is a fine Barbedienne cast with the inset gold FB seal, which was affixed to examples from a special high quality edition that the foundry produced shortly after purchasing the rights of reproduction at the Vente Barye of 1876.
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Elephant of Senegal, large version c.1870 (Éléphant du Sénégal) Bronze, F.Barbedienne Fondeur, (France), cast circa 1890 Height: 101/2˝ (26cm), Length: 131/2˝ (35cm) Pale green and brown patina with black undertones. Horswell p.5, Pivar p.175, P&R p.251
This enlargement was first produced by the Barbedienne Foundry in 1887 after the commercial success of the original model but few examples were made in comparison with the two smaller versions.
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Walking Pheasant, head right, c.1840 (Faisan, tête tournée à droite) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1845 Height: 41/2˝ (12cm), Length:81/2˝(21cm) Stamped ‘BARYE’ and numbered ‘12’ Reddy brown, green and black patina Pivar p.239, P&R p.336
43.
Walking Pheasant, head right, c.1840 (Faisan, tête tournée à droite) Bronze, inscribed ‘F.Barbedienne Fondeur, Paris’ cast circa 1900 Height: 41/2˝ (11cm), Length: 81/2˝ (21cm) Orangey brown, green and black patina.
A comparison of the above two works shows that the best posthumous castings are often every bit as good as lifetime examples. The first is a typical fine quality stamped and numbered cast produced during the years of Barye’s association with Martin (1845-1857) with good crisp detail and a fine patina. The second is a posthumous Barbedienne cast from the early twentieth century which has comparable good detail and patina. With all bronzes one has to look carefully at each individual cast and assess its merits as one can never guarantee the quality of a bronze from a recorded casting date.
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Parrot with head right, c. 1840 (Perruche, tête tournée vers la gauche) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1845. Height: 8˝ (20cm), Length: 4˝ (10cm) Stamped ‘BARYE’ and numbered ‘18’ Medium brown patina Pivar p.238, P&R p.334
45.
Parrot with head left, c. 1840 (Perruche tête tournée vers la gauche) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1860 Height: 8˝ (20cm), Length: 5˝ (12.7cm) Reddy brown, green and black patina
With these two bronzes we have a comparison between a cast from the Martin years and another from the best period of Barye’s production when he had regained control of his models, was financially secure and could lavish the time and attention he wished on each bronze. It is from this period that we see the most beautiful patinas and the present cast is no exception. This model was also successfully used by Barye on a candelabra.
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Virginia Stag, c.1875 (Cerf de Virginie s’élançant) Bronze, Brame Foundry, cast circa 1880 Posthumous enlargement. Height: 201/2˝ (52cm), Length: 22˝ (56cm) ‘Feuilles d’automne’ patina of orangey brown with green and black undertones. Pivar p.204, P&R p.315-6
The present example is a rare enlargement made by Brame after he had bought the original model at the Vente Barye of 1876. It appears Barye never edited this work during his lifetime and Brame made few casts, as a result examples are scarce on the market today. This enlargement is again a wonderful example of a bronze cast in the spirit of Barye. The quality and finish of the cast are excellent and the patina is as close to the master’s famed feuilles d’automne patina as one could hope to find in a posthumous casting. The added scale also brings the model to life in a way sometimes lacking in Barye’s smaller works.
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Axis Stag, c.1837 (Axis) Bronze, atelier Barye/Martin, cold stamped ‘BARYE 8’ twice, cast circa 1845 Height: 6˝ (15cm), Length: 61/2˝ (16cm) Medium brown patina with dark brown highlights and green undertones. Horswell p.19, Pivar p.193, P&R p.307 This stamped and numbered bronze is a cast of unusual quality, reminiscent of the Gonon lost wax casting of the Seated Bear (see cat. no.28). When one compares it to other atelier castings of the same model one immediately notices the texture of this cast. It differs also from the others in that this Stag has antlers and the foliage under the belly of the animal is more defined. It was probably cast direct from the sculptors working model rather than from a subsequent bronze chef-modèle.
48.
Axis Deer, 1850 (Cerf Axis) Bronze chef-modéle, atelier Barye, cast circa 1857 Height: 6˝ (16cm), Length: 7˝ (17cm) Medium brown patina. Pivar p.193, P&R p.308
Barye's complex working practice involved casting a chef-modèle in bronze from each sculpture's finished plaster and wax prototype. This bronze chef-modèle was hand-finished to a high standard after casting and was used as the pattern for all subsequent sand-cast examples for the bronze edition. At the Vente Barye of 1876, the rights of reproduction of Barye's sculptures were sold as individual lots and included its bronze chef-modèle and very often the sculptor’s original working model in plaster and wax. These chef-modèles are rarely on the market today as most already reside in museums collections.
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Tortoise, c.1845 (Tortue) Bronze, F.Barbedienne Fondeur, cast circa 1880 Height: 1/2˝ (1.2cm), Length: 2˝ (5cm) Medium brown patina with dark brown undertones. Horswell p.21, Pivar p.250, P&R p.347
50.
Tortoise on a Base, 1830 (Tortue, sur plinthe carrée) Bronze, F.Barbedienne Fondeur, cast circa 1880 Height: 2˝ (5cm), Length: 51/2˝ (14cm) Medium brown patina with dark brown Pivar p.251, P&R p.348
Poletti and Richarme state that Barye was probably inspired to model this Tortoise by the arrival of a live specimen at the Natural History Museum in Paris in 1839 which stayed for three months. It is certainly one of his most charming small models and was cast in a variety of versions both during Barye’s life and posthumously by Barbedienne. The underbase of the larger Tortoise shows the lot number from the Vente Barye under which this model was sold. This was engraved after the sale by Barbedienne on to the chef-modèles that he bought at the sale, presumably to keep track of what was what. It is unusual however to see this cast through on a subsequent editioned casting as it was normally removed from the sand mould.
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Ethiopian Gazelle, 1834 (Gazelle d’Éthiopie) Bronze, atelier Barye/Martin, cold stamped ‘BARYE 7’, dated ‘1837’ Height: 3˝ (8.5cm), Length: 4˝ (11cm) Medium brown patina with dark brown Horswell p.16, Pivar p.212, P&R p.317
A classic fine quality stamped and numbered cast from the years of the Barye Martin association. Barye modelled few small antelope on their own and this is one of the most successful.
52.
Reclining Doe, 1840 (Biche couchée) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast c.1860 Height: 31/2˝ (9cm), Length: 6˝ (15cm) Reddy brown dark brown and green patina Horswell p.77(as part of group), Pivar p.190, P&R p.304
This charming model originally formed part of Barye’s group ‘Family of Deer’ which depicts a Stag, this Doe and a reclining Fawn. As is often the case, Barye took elements of a larger group and edited them on their own. In each case these ‘fragments’ seem to work equally well individually. The present example is a fine atelier casting from the 1860’s and has a wonderful multicoloured patina.
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53.
Stag in landscape c.1850 (Cerf en paysage) Drawing, pencil on paper. Stamped with the ‘Vente Barye’ sale stamp: ‘BARYE’ Height: 41/2˝ (11.5cm), Length: 5˝ (13cm)
This sketch is possibly a working drawing for Barye’s ‘Stag with Left Leg Raised’ of 1838 with which he had great success as a bronze.
54.
Outline Stag, c.1840 (Cerf) Drawing, pencil on paper Stamped with the ‘Vente Barye’ sale stamp: ‘BARYE’ Height: 31/2˝ (8cm), Length: 4 3/4˝ (12cm)
This working drawing possibly relates to Barye’s Walking Stag which he first modelled in 1837 and subsequently adapted shortly afterwards.
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55.
Food Warmer, c.1880 (Réchaud de table) Bronze, A.Delafontaine, cast circa 1880 Height: 6˝ (15cm) Length: 19˝ (48cm) Medium Brown patina with golden brown highlights and black undertones. Pivar p.278, P&R p.477 Provenance: Vente Collection Mons. X., Paris 1938 Elie Fabius, 3 Rue de Provence, Paris, 1939 Collection Christian Ledoux-Lebard, France. Vente Ledoux-Lebard, Sotheby’s London, 1995, lot no.10. Private Collection, London
This unique work combines much of Barye’s working experience from his early years with the famous goldsmith Jacques-Henri Fauconnier together with his expertise as a sculptor in his own right. Despite originally an earlier date for the fabrication of this piece, Poletti and Richarme state that the Réchaud de Table was realised after the death of Barye by the editeur A.Delafontaine and the presence of the monogrammed ‘JF’ on the shield around the base implies that it was a private commission. The animal components are provided principally by Barye – the two dogs and the two rabbits, whilst the turtles and the seated hound are by Alfred Jacquemart (1824-1896). The Pointer and Spaniel were edited both separately and as a group by Barye. Elie Fabius, founder of the famous Paris gallery, suggested the réchaud might have been made as a gift for Fauconnier – the initials would certainly fit – but bearing in mind Jacquemart’s birth date, the likelihood is that the conception was certainly after 1850. Whatever its date it is an exceptional work that combines the realism of nineteenth century sculpture with the ornamentation of the goldsmith and is a unique work in Barye’s oeuvre.
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56.
Spaniel, c.1840 (Épagneul no.1, première version) Bronze, atelier Barye/Martin, cast circa 1857 Stamped ‘BARYE 35’ Height: 4˝ (9cm), Length: 7˝ (18cm) Orangey- brown patina with dark brown undertones. Pivar p.124, P&R p.140
57.
Spaniel, c.1840 (Épagneul no.1, première version) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1845 Height: 4˝ (9cm), Length: 7˝ (18cm) Rich reddy brown patina with dark brown and green undertones. Pivar p.124, P&R p.140
Again we have here the comparison between a stamped and numbered cast from around 1850 and an atelier proof from ten years later. In this incidence the quality of both the detail in the casting and also the subsequent patina is better on the atelier cast. This Spaniel was also cast as part of a group with a Pointer and was used on the Réchaud de Table (see cat. no.56).
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Spaniel, c.1850 (Épagneul no.1, seconde version) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1857 Height: 41/2˝ (11cm), Length: 7˝ (18cm) Medium brown patina with dark brown undertones Pivar p.124, P&R p.141
This second version of the Spaniel was modelled ten to fifteen years after the first and examples are rare. The present example is a fine quality atelier casting.
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59.
Sleeping Rabbit, c.1840 (Lapin, oreilles couchées) Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1865 Height: 11/2˝ (3cm), Length: 3˝ (7.5cm) Mid-brown patina with dark brown undertones Horswell p.30, Pivar p.248, P&R p.244
60.
Crouching Rabbit, c.1840 (Lapin, oreilles couchées) Bronze, inscribed ‘F.Barbedienne Fondeur’, cast circa 1876 Height: 2˝ (5cm), Length: 3˝ (7.5m) Orangey brown and green patina with black undertones Horswell p.30, Pivar p.248, P&R p.244
61.
Seated Hare, c.1870 (Lièvre assis) Bronze, inscribed ‘F.Barbedienne M,Monbray La Mutualite Commerciale 15 8bre 1889’ Height: 31/2˝ (8.5cm), Length: 2˝ (5cm) Black, green and red patina. Horswell p.31, Pivar p.249, P&R p.247
Barye modelled four different rabbits and two hares and he brought to all, despite their small size, the same high quality of modelling found in his larger works. In each he captures the attitude and stance with great success and with the rabbits sometimes combines them into groups. For their small size they are some of his most appealing works and were edited both throughout his life and posthumously in some number.
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Tazza with Vines, Cat Mask and Owls,1845 (Coupe ornée d’Arabesques et de Feuilles de Vigne ou Coupe à Bords renversés) Bronze, stamped ‘BARYE 37’, cast in 1850 Height: 51/2˝ (14cm), Length: 71/2˝ (19cm) Gold and black patina. P&R p.366-367
This tazza is one of a number of ornamental works modelled and subsequently edited by Barye. During his lifetime these works along with candelabra and other orferier works were extremely popular and some were cast in quite large editions. This good quality example is numbered 37 so from this we know that at least this number were cast in the years of the Barye Martin association alone. Part of their appeal was undoubtedly the high level of modelling Barye incorporated into each piece, for example the stem and base include cat’s masks and owls whilst the top bears an intricate foliage design.
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Chimera Incense Burner, 1850
Leda and the Swan seal, c.1830 (Léda et le Cygne) Silver, atelier Barye, Height: 41/2˝ (10cm), Length: 1˝ (3cm) Pivar p.98, P&R p.454 Provenance: Private Collection, London
(Brûle-Parfum orné de Chimères) Bronze, atelier Barye, stamped with number ‘8’, cast circa 1845 Height: 3˝ (7cm), Length: 21/2˝ (6.5cm) Brown patina with gold on chimeras. Pivar p.268, P&R p.369-370 Another inventive and intricate decorative object, this one with the added gilding to the chimeras. Barye also modelled a chimera as an independent sculpture, see Poletti and Richarme page 464.
Despite dating from the early 1830’s whilst Barye was working with Fauconnier, this work does not appear in any sales catalogue and was not listed in the Vente Barye of 1876. An example is in the Louvre Museum, Paris (donation J-M Zoubaloff, 1919) and this, along with the other two known, are all cast in solid silver.
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The Cabinet Bronzes of Antoine-Louis Barye The exact nature of the controversy created by Barye’s work remains a little obscure. However, the main objections from the establishment seem to have rested on two points – that the depiction of animals, independently of any mythological or allegorical pretext, was intrinsically inferior to grand figurative statuary, and secondly that certain of Barye’s works were too small and ‘decorative’ to be called sculpture – they were merely commercial ornaments.
‘The master of masters who clung to nature with all the force and tenacity of a god and dominated everything. He was beyond all and outside of all art influences, save nature and the antique. He was one of, if not the most isolated artists that ever lived. Emphatically original, and the first in the world of that kind of originality, he was himself and himself alone… He is our great glory and we shall have to depend on him in coming generations.’ - Auguste Rodin Antoine-Louis Barye (1796-1875) is widely considered the most important nineteenth century French sculptor prior to Rodin. The companion of Delacroix, Millet, Rousseau and Daumier, he was an artist of enormous complexity, who embodied many overlapping tendencies of his age – Romantic, Neo-Classical, Realist and Orientalist. As suggested in Rodin’s fulsome tribute, Barye showed the way for other sculptors both to find new, dynamic interpretations of traditional themes, as in the celebrated Theseus and the Minotaur see cat. no. 1, and to break out into fresh subject matter (as in his purely ‘animalier’ pieces). Just as importantly, he was an independent spirit whose example demonstrated that new strategies could be invented for artists to conduct their careers. And in this connection it is his smaller, cabinet works which are perhaps most significant.
The depiction of animals, directly and without obvious anthropomorphism or allegorical intent, was indeed one of Barye’s goals. Alongside Delacroix, he studied live animals, and dissected dead ones, making scientifically rigorous drawings and careful measurements, to gain total familiarity with animal structure and movements. His ‘bibles’ were the anatomical treaties by Cuvier, Lamarck and Buffon. In his final sculptures he encapsulated all his factual knowledge of his subject, and was then able to expressively ‘distort’ the facts for the sake of re-animating his creatures with drama and vigour. Throughout his career, from the larger reputation forming works like the Tiger and Gavial (1831) see cat. no. 12 to the later and smaller Tiger and Crocodile, Barye was drawn to scenes of combat which clearly struck a chord both with his own psyche and with the turbulent spirit of his age. Surprisingly it is often the smaller combat pieces, which seem to condense this near-sublime power and vitality most strongly, bringing out Barye’s sculptural abilities, and achieving an expressiveness which belies their modest scale.
The avenues open to nineteenth century sculptors to pursue their vocation were strictly limited. They normally involved graduation from the Ecole des Beaux Arts, attempts at a ‘Prix de Rome’ scholarship, then submission to the annual ‘Salon’, leading to commissions or purchases by the State. State commissions for public monuments were especially numerous in the highly politicized period of the July monarchy (1830-1848), the Second Republic, and the Second Empire of Napoleon III (1851-1870). There were also independent commissions by wealthy patrons, a certain number from the established Church, and perhaps smaller requests by private families for tombs or cemetery memorials.
That animal sculptures were potentially as ‘elevated’ in their power and ambition as – indeed more so than – heroic allegories, was eventually bound to gain popular recognition. The whole trend of Romanticism (and embryonic Modernism) was predisposed toward it. Thus one of Barye’s most perceptive critics, Arsène Alexandre, was to sum up soon after the sculptor’s death:
To some extent Barye did comply with this conventional pattern, gaining Salon success in the early 1830’s with pieces purchased for the Luxembourg Palace. Works by him were also eventually to decorate the new Louvre facades instigated by Napoleon III.
‘How is one to explain the disdain in which he was held by academic coteries? The persistence with which he was called an ‘animalier’?
However, by the late 1830’s Barye was in opposition to the official administrators of the Salon. His works had been rejected by the jury, and he had signed (along with Daumier, Courbet, Rousseau and others) a petition against antiquated Salon attitudes. There was even the suggestion that a major public commission for a giant eagle to crown the Arc de Triomphe, which was later withdrawn from him, was a deliberate sabotage by his adversaries to prevent him having time to create new Salon entries. For several years, in protest, Barye refused to submit to the Salon.
‘Animalier’? But when there is this evocative faculty which in these tame or ferocious models gives us such intense philosophic and aesthetic joys… then the name ‘animalier’ is hardly an insult. This faculty of evocativeness alone makes a master. His animals are admiringly true because nature has been studied as closely as possible. They will be eternally moving because their maker has made the effort to go beyond nature. With Barye we arrive at the definition of the artist of genius: An inventor of truths.’
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Barye’s watercolours and pastels have the delicacy and freshness of his friend Delacroix’s drawings and oil sketches, so Barye’s cabinet pieces are best contemplated as individual works. In many cases it is only then that the piece can be viewed fully ‘in the round’ and the relationships of its forms can be fully appreciated. His dogs, and even his rabbits which once chased each other in a fable-like formal ‘dance’ around a table decoration, are each unique encapsulations of ‘animal’ vitality. The extent to which these pieces are realized ‘in the round’ sculpturally, is indicated by the difficulties posed in photographing them – no single pose does justice to their richness.
The prejudice which perhaps proved more entrenched was that against the smallness of scale and the decorative nature of much of Barye’s output. Yet again it is important to appreciate on its own terms the virtue of Barye’s intimately-scaled ornamental works. While quite capable of rising to monumental occasions, Barye had been the son of a jeweller and had been apprenticed early to Fourrier, a maker of military regalia, for whom he learned to engrave and chase metal. Later, after studying under the sculptor Bosio and the painter Gros, he returned to a jeweller, Fauconnier, where he cut metal die stamps for repousse work, as well as creating his own decorative plaques of animals. Almost more significant may have been Barye’s two year period as a conscript in the army at the age of 16, when he was employed creating relief maps – a discipline in the perceiving and reproducing of subtly inflected forms and contours, precisely as he would do in his greatest animal sculptures.
Once again, it is Arsène Alexandre who applauds Barye, devoting a chapter of his 1889 study of the sculptor to a defence of the small works and an exposition of their undiminished artistic ambition. ‘Had he produced in all his life nothing but this numerous army of tiny beasts, he would deserve nevertheless to be called a great artist, equal to the greatest. Had he only produced twenty, or a dozen such, they would still have won him a great reputation… In a single claw of a lion by Barye, there is more of the sense of true nobility than in all the conventional Apollos; in the eye of one of his small jaguars, more redoubtable wrath than in all the Jupiters which glory the academic artist. Today they are plunged in the most profound obscurity. And only now, by contrast, does Barye’s name begin to live – but it will live forever’.
From the mid 1830’s Barye executed specifically decorative works – table decorations, chandeliers, candelabras, mantle pieces, festooned with animals, birds and figures – for the Duc d’Orleans and his brother the Duc du Montpensier. It was certain of these works which were first rejected by the Salon as not genuinely ‘sculptural’ but merely ornamental. In addition, the charge of trivial ‘commercialisation’ may have been attracted by the fact that Barye had left Fauconnier and was making his moderately sized and priced pieces directly available to private buyers among the burgeoning bourgeois classes. Individual animals from the commissioned schemes were also offered. By 1839 he had his own atelier for the finishing of bronzes, and by 1847 he was issuing sculpture catalogues of virtually his total output. This was a highly innovative move for an individual sculptor, anticipating the catalogues of decorative items issued by foundries like Durenne and Barbedienne (in which sculptors names were rarely given), and totally side-stepping the traditional structures for marketing art. Barye’s detractors were partly hidebound by snobbery – the inability to recognise that the future of fine art lay very much with the ‘free market’ and the bourgeoisie. But more importantly they failed to perceive that he was as sculpturally strong and subtle in the small works as in the major ones. His sensibility to form, relief, and texture; his knowledge of structure and anatomy; his brilliance with his materials – all are captured in these intimate ‘cabinet’ bronzes. Time after time one sees a transformation when pieces are ‘removed’ from the schematic context of a candelabrum or ‘réchaud de table’ see cat. no. 55 in which their main effect may have been as a striking silhouette, a piquant detail or a repeated or symmetrically mirrored decorative motif. Once a piece such as the Spaniel is isolated, its degree of subtlety and detail is immediately perceived. Rather as
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Alexandre, Arsene, Les Artistes Célèbres, Antoine-Louis Barye, Paris, 1889.
Baillio, Joseph, The Wild Kingdom of Antoine-Louis Barye, Wildenstein & Co., Inc., New York, 1994.
Saunier, Charles & Lane, John, Masters of Modern Art, Louis Barye, The Bodley Head Ltd., UK, 1926.
Mannoni, Édith, Barye, Les editions de l’amateur, France, 1996.
Horswell, Jane, Bronze sculpture of ‘Les Animaliers’ reference and price guide. The Antiques Collectors’ Club Ltd., UK, 1971.
Lemaistre, Isabelle Leroy-Jay, La Griffe et La Dent, Antoine LouisBarye Sculpteur Animalier, Éditions de la Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Paris, 1996.
Benge, Glenn, Barye, An Exhibition of Sculpture. The Sladmore Gallery, London, 1972
Poletti, Michel & Richarme, Alain, Barye Catalogue Raisonné des Sculptures, Gallimard, France, 2000.
Mackay, James, The Animaliers, The Animal Sculptors of the 19th & 20th Centuries Ward Lock Limited, London, 1973.
Poletti, Michel, Monsieur Barye, Acatos S.A., Paris, 2002.
Pivar, Stuart, The Barye Bronzes, A Catalogue Raisonee, The Antique Collectors’ Club Ltd., England, 1974.
Shay, Cameron, Hart, Carrie & Clifford, Katie, Antoine-Louis Barye and the American Collector, an Exhibition of Sculpture, James Graham & Sons, USA, 2003.
Wasserman, L., Jeanne Metamorphoses in Nineteenth-century Sculpture, Distributed by Harvard University Press for the Fogg Art Museum, USA, 1975.
Johnston, William R. and Kelly, Simon, Untamed, The Art of Antoine-Louis Barye, Exhibition catalogue for Walters Art Museum, Feb 2007, Prestel Publishing, USA, 2006.
Fusco, Peter & Janson, H., W., The Romantics to Rodin, French Nineteenth-century sculpture, Los Angeles County Museum of Art in association with George Braziller Inc., USA, 1980. Wasserman, Jeanne L., Barye, Sculpture by Antoine Louis-Barye in the Collection of the Fogg Art Museum, The Publications Department Fogg Art Museum, USA, 1982. Kashey, Elisabeth & Kashey, Robert, Nineteenth Century French and Western European Sculpture in Bronze and Other Media, USA, 1985. Robinson, Lilien F., & Nygren, Edward J., Antoine Louis-Barye, The Corcoran Collection, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA, 1988. De Kay, Charles, Life and works of Barye the Sculptor, The Devine Press, USA, 1889. Horswell, Edward & Hazandras, Julia, Myth Monument and Menagerie, The Sculpture of Antoine-Louis Barye, The Sladmore Gallery, London, 1990. Horswell, Edward, A Bronze Menagerie – The Cabinet Bronzes of Antoine-Louis Barye, The Sladmore Gallery, London, 1994.
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GLOSSARY Atelier Barye: Used to describe a fine quality lifetime cast which was finished off in the sculptors own atelier/workshop. Barye rarely actually poured metal, this he contracted out to various small foundries but the rest of the process – assembling, chasing and patinating he carried out himself. Barbedienne: The most important art bronze founder of the nineteenth century who had over 100 people working for him in a variety of workshops spread around Paris. He was the main purchaser of models with rights of reproduction at the Vente Barye of 1876, with a final total of around 150 separate sculptures. Brame: A well known art dealer of the time, Hector Brame purchased 78 models with rights of reproduction at the Vente Barye of 1876, making him the second most important posthumous editeur of Barye’s sculptures. Shortly after purchasing the rights he set up a workshop under the direction of Henri Coupens, the chef d’atelier of Barye’s workshop. Like Barye, the actual casting was contracted out but the final finishing and patination was carried out to a very high standard. Chasing: An important step in the finishing of a cast bronze carried out by the ‘ciseleur’ which involves removing any imperfections in the casting such as mould lines, short runs etc. In the process the detail often had to be modelled back into the surface by hand, a process requiring both technical skill and artistry. Chef-modèle: Barye’s complex working practice involved casting a chef-modèle in bronze from each sculpture's finished plaster and wax prototype. This chef-modèle was hand-finished to a high standard after casting in bronze and was used as the pattern for all subsequent sand-cast examples of the bronze edition. At the Vente Barye of 1876, the rights of reproduction of Barye's sculptures were sold as individual lots and generally included the bronze chef- modèle. Working model: Stage one of Barye's recognised working practice began with his modelling the subject in a soft medium such as wax. Bearing in mind the instability of this first medium and the length of time that Barye worked and reworked each piece before arriving at a prototype, he would mould this wax and cast a plaster. The second and perhaps most important stage then began with Barye working this plaster original, pairing down the surface in some areas and adding with the application of soft wax in other areas. It was these plaster and wax originals that would become the finished prototype from which the first bronze chef-modèle would be cast.
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Detail: Roger and Angelique, 1840 See cat. no. 2.
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This exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Francois Fabius and Graham Franses both ardent admirers of Barye’s work.
Design:
Nona Horswell
Photography:
Prudence Cuming, London P.J.Gates, London Richard Valencia, London Sonia Harman, London
Printing:
Butler and Tanner, Frome
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