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  • silla | antiques & art
  • (717) 708-9017
  • 117 W Burd St. Shippensburg, PA 17257

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About us

silla was born out of a passion for beautiful objects: special pieces with aesthetic and historical significance. In 2009, after years of collecting, Andrew Silla and his wife Grace began to work privately with clients from their residence in Southern Maryland. Quickly outgrowing the space, the business was moved from Maryland to Pennsylvania in 2012 and after several warehouse location changes it was firmly settled in the present brick-and-mortar location in downtown Shippensburg.

The 9000 square foot brick-and-mortar gallery is home to a large collection of works of art and estate jewelry. We specialize in sculpture circa 1860 through 1930 with a particular emphasis on the Animaliers and as such the gallery always has a very large collection of exceptional European and American sculpture available on display.

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silla | antiques & art

Barye, Alfred

Born in 1839 to the great Animalier sculptor, Antoine-Louis Barye, Alfred Barye worked mostly in the shadow of his father's achievements. Both in life and posthumously in death, his work was constantly compared to his father's genius. Some of this was accentuated by the confusion Alfred created by initially signing his models simply "BARYE", an attribution that created much confusion in the market and caused a riff between father and son. Eventually, at the request of his father, he began to sign his work "A. Barye", "A. Barye Fils" or "Barye Fils" to eliminate confusion.

Where he lacked his father's creativity for unique composition, he brought an attention to detail and technical precision coupled with a deep understanding of anatomy and produced exacting models that have stood the test of time. His skill as an Animalier is perhaps most evidenced in his prized models of racehorses. Almost certainly modeled as commissions for the British market, his first debut to the Paris Salon in 1864 was his model the racehorse of Walter Scott, cheval de selle de l'empereur (no. 2501). He exhibited there the following two years, presenting his 1864 commission of Vermout, cheval de course in 1865 (no. 2859) and Cheval de course monté par son jockey in 1866 (no. 2628). After an intermission of several years, he exhibited again in 1874 with his bronze group of partridges titled Perdrix effrayées (no 2667) and again in 1882 with Bouffon italien, XVIe siècle (no. 4089). His powerful representation of Jeanne d'Arc à cheval demonstrates perhaps best his ability to capture both figural and animal subjects with verve; the model is no doubt influenced by his father's Cheval Turc. In addition to casting numerous figural models and animalier subjects, Alfred also produced several Orientalist studies as well as a model of a Native American titled Wakut-Peau de la Buffalo Bill's Company held in the collection of the R.W. Norton Art Gallery.

Alfred is believed to have died in Paris the same years as his last exhibition. In 1897, his model of Aide Fauconnier Indien, Retour de Chasse à la Gazelle received honourable mention.

Artist Listings & Bibliography:

  • "Dictionnaire des Sculpteurs de L'École Français, Au Dix-Neuvième Siècle, Vol I", Stanislas Lami, 1970, p. 85
  • "Dictionnaire des fondeurs, ciseleurs, modelleurs en bronze, et doreurs, Vol. I", Alfred de Champeaux, 1886, p. 84
  • "E. Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Vol. I", Gründ, 2006, p. 1259-60
  • "Bronzes of the Nineteenth Century: A Dictionary of Sculptors", Pierre Kjellberg, 1994, p. 53-4
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