catalog text
ANTOINE-LOUIS BARYE (AFTER)
France, 1796-1875
"WALKING LEOPARD" (conceived 1831, cast circa 1890-1910)
Patinated bronze bas-relief plaque on walnut panel | Signed "BARYE 1831"
Item # 110CFX23P
A beautifully textured and well-preserved bas-relief plaque after Antoine-Louis Barye's Walking Leopard mounted on a walnut panel, the sand-cast patinated bronze is finished in an overall medium-brown patina with undertone hints of a reddish-bronze hue. A version of this plaque is held in the permanent collection of the Walters Art Gallery (acc. no. 27.495) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art holds the earlier variation of this model with the cold-stamped signature along the lower edge (acc. no. 12.149.8) and the Philadelphia Museum of Art also holds the model (acc. no. W1893-1-159) as well. Another model is held in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum of Art (acc. no. 10.193) titled Puma. The present example was cast circa 1890-1910. We may still have two earlier casts of this plaque available in our shop inventory.
Artist Listings & Bibliography:
- Barye: Catalogue raisonné des sculptures, Poletti & Richarme, p. 360, fig. A220
- The Barye Bronzes: A catalogue raisonne, Pivar, p. 61, p. 261, f. R10
- Antoine-Louis Barye: Sculptor of Romantic Realism, Benge, p. 82-3 [discussion of present model], fig. 62
- The Founders and Editors of the Barye Bronzes, Reinis, see p. 5 of the 1865 Barye catalogue
Measurements: 3 3/8" H x 5 1/4" W [bronze only]; 4 1/2" H x 6 5/8" W x 5/8" D [total]
Condition Report:
Good original condition; plaque has been carefully cleaned and sealed in beeswax. Rubbed highlights to the patina (ear, hip, edges). Walnut backing has some wood filling of holes on right side.