Senegalese Elephant
Statuette
ca. 1874 (modelled), ca. 1882 (cast), (cast)
ca. 1874 (modelled), ca. 1882 (cast), (cast)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Barye was a prolific artist and famous for his 'animalier' sculptures. This bronze figure is the 'Elephant du Sénégal' [Senegalise Elephant] modelled shortly before 1865. This cast bears the stamp of Barbédienne whose foundry, established in 1838, employed three-hundred workmen and produced over one thousand bronzes each year. Large 'editions' of bronzes, made possible by the development of mechanical scale reduction techniques in the 1830s, supplied the growing market for bronzes to decorate bourgeois interiors. The compositions of Barye, whose models were taken over Barbédienne on the sculptor's death in 1875, were among the most popular.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Senegalese Elephant (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Bronze |
| Brief description | Senegalese Elephant, bronze, modelled by Antoine-Louis Barye (1796-1875) shortly before 1874 and cast by Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892) in Paris, France, in about 1882 |
| Physical description | Bronze statuette of an African elephant, bearing the gilt stamp of Barbedienne's foundry |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | BARYE signature cast through from the model. Inset with a rectangular gilt ‘FB’ seal (Gilt stamp of Barbedienne's foundry) |
| Gallery label |
|
| Object history | A version of this African elephant was included in the catalogue issued by Barye in 1855. This cast bears the gilt stamp of Barbédienne. Purchased from the Barbedienne Foundry in 1882 for use as a Schools Example. Transferred to the V&A’s Circulation Department in 1914 and later to the Sculpture Department in 1982. |
| Historical context | Barbedienne's foundry, established in 1838, employed 300 workmen and produced over 1000 bronzes each year. Large 'editions' of bronzes, made possible by the development of mechanical scale reduction techniques in the 1830s, supplied the growing market for bronzes to decorate bourgeois interiors. The compositions of Barye, whose models were taken over by Barbédienne on the sculptor's death in 1875, were among the most popular. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Barye was a prolific artist and famous for his 'animalier' sculptures. This bronze figure is the 'Elephant du Sénégal' [Senegalise Elephant] modelled shortly before 1865. This cast bears the stamp of Barbédienne whose foundry, established in 1838, employed three-hundred workmen and produced over one thousand bronzes each year. Large 'editions' of bronzes, made possible by the development of mechanical scale reduction techniques in the 1830s, supplied the growing market for bronzes to decorate bourgeois interiors. The compositions of Barye, whose models were taken over Barbédienne on the sculptor's death in 1875, were among the most popular. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.EX.62-1882 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | January 21, 2003 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
