Antoine-Louis Barye (French, 1796-1875), Lion Assis, Esquisse

Conceived circa 1847, green and dark brown patinated bronze, casting by Ferdinand Barbedienne circa 1880, signed "BARYE" with foundry marks "F. BARBEDIENNE. FONDEUR" along with a gilt embossed "F.B." reserve mark to the terrace profile.

10 1/2 x 14 1/2 x 6 1/2 in.

Similar castings by Barbedienne of Barye's rare sketch model can be seen in the collection of Museum of Fine Arts in Boston accession number 1990.620 as well as The Walters Art Museum, accession number 27.447.

The impressionistic handling of this sketch and others were most likely an early influence on the young Rodin, whom recalls studying with Barye: "I also went to the Jardin des Plantes [botanical garden, Paris], where Barye taught; I was friendly with his son….At the Jardin des Plantes, looking carefully, we ferreted out a basement, a kind of cellar whose walls oozed dampness; there we installed ourselves delightedly….They had the kindness to put up with us and to let us take pieces of animals from the [dissection] amphitheatres – lions’ paws, and so on….We worked like furies there; we were like wild beasts. The great Barye came to see us. He would look at what we had done and go away, usually without saying anything; but nonetheless it is from him that I learned most.”

Antoine-Louis Barye is known primarily for his realistic sculptures of animals subjects, though he did complete important equestrian groups and mythological compositions. Acclaimed by many as one of the finest sculptors of Les Animaliers, Barye was a frequent visitor of Paris' Jardin des Plantes where he could study his subjects. His work can be found in several prominent museum collections. Author Glen Benge recognizes that Barye's work "embodies the yearning and turmoil, the triumphs and anguish" of the Romantic Age.

Literature:
Benge, Glenn F. Antoine-Louis Barye: Sculptor of Romantic Realism, pages 11, 45, 118-119, 121, 125-127, 164. Illustrated in figure 116.

Pivar, Stuart. The Barye Bronzes: A Catalogue Raisonné, illustrated on page 133 (catalog no. A50).

Auguste Rodin, “Reflections on Art” (recorded by Henri C.E. Dujardin-Beaumetz), Auguste Rodin. Readings on His Life and Work, Albert Elsen (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1965), 147.

Good condition; some oxidation verdigris to underside.