catalog text
ANTOINE-LOUIS BARYE
French, 1796-1875
"Ours Assis no. 2" (Seated Bear, small version)
Patinated bronze | signed in cast on base below upraised foot "BARYE"
Item # 409PJL29Q
A very fine 19th century casting of Barye's Ours Assis no. 2 (Seated Bear), the petit modeling over a naturalistic base with the bear situated with his eyes looking out over his proper right leg and arm. Barye made two versions of the Seated Bear, the slightly larger version modeled in 1833 (bear looking almost towards the viewer, his eyes oriented over proper left leg) and the present smaller model.
In writing about Ours Assis no. 2, Poletti and Richarme include the plaster casting and surmise it might have been the model exhibited at the Salon of 1830. After Barye's death in 1875, the model was acquired by the founder Germeau.
The present casting of the model is an exquisite example, inordinately rich in texture and depth. It is finished in a brilliant and chaotic autumnal patination with hints of verde and relieved nearly black patina in the crevices. The overall effect is magnetic and powerful, the cast remaining in almost perfect original condition throughout. A very fine authentic cast of the model.
A very rare model to find on the open market, the slightly larger variation on this model is somewhat more frequently found. An example was offered with Expertisez in Paris (lot 63) of somewhat later casting rather soft in the details, estimated by Poletti and Richarme as being cast circa 1890. A very soft casting of the model was offered by Christie's, New York, 3 April 2003. A good casting (though still rather soft by comparison to the present example) was offered at Sotheby's as part of their Sladmore in Life sale, 6 April 2022, lot 6. A careful examination against these and other documented examples will show the present casting to be a remarkable find. It rivals in sharpness and extraordinary texture the model documented in Stuart Pivar's reference work (A6).
Artist Listings & Bibliography:
- Barye, Catalogue Raisonné des Sculptures, Poletti & Richarme, 2000, p. 129-130, fig. 83, fig 84
- The Barye Bronzes, A Catalogue Raisonne, Pivar, 1974, p. 117, fig. A6
Measurements: 4" H x 3.25" D x 5.5" H [10.2 cm H x 8.26 cm D x 14 cm W]
Condition Report:
Exquisite original condition, very minor handling wear to patina, no observed flaws.