Walking Jaguar no. 2
Statuette
ca. 1890 (Cast), ca. 1840 (modelled)
ca. 1890 (Cast), ca. 1840 (modelled)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This statuette was modelled by Antoine Louis Barye (1795-1875) as a pair to a Jaguar Standing. More than a decade later he modelled a slightly different pair, also of a jaguar walking paired with a jaguar standing but this time with their ears set back and on a rocky base.
Barye exhibited his first animal sculpture in the Paris Salon of 1831 when he was dubbed an 'Animalier', a maker of animals. Initially applied with derogatory overtones, this term became widely used for sculptors - of whom Barye was first and foremost - who specialised in this genre. He was referred to as the 'Michelangelo of the Menagerie' by the contemporaneous art critic Théophile Gautier.
Barye studied animals closely. He attended dissections of animals at the Museum of Natural History in Paris, where he served as the Master of Zoological Drawing from 1854 until his death. But he was also intensely interested in what lay underneath the physical appearance of animals - their inner vitality - and in this sense was in tune with his romantic contemporaries, for whom exotic or wild beasts held a particular fascination.
Although he obtained public commissions and enjoyed the patronage of the Dukes of Orleans, Luynes, Montpensier, and Nemours, Barye specialised in the relatively large-scale production small-scale animal sculptures. The expanding commercial market of the middle class helped ensure that his and other animalier sculptures gained in popularity through the latter half of the 19th century.
Barye exhibited his first animal sculpture in the Paris Salon of 1831 when he was dubbed an 'Animalier', a maker of animals. Initially applied with derogatory overtones, this term became widely used for sculptors - of whom Barye was first and foremost - who specialised in this genre. He was referred to as the 'Michelangelo of the Menagerie' by the contemporaneous art critic Théophile Gautier.
Barye studied animals closely. He attended dissections of animals at the Museum of Natural History in Paris, where he served as the Master of Zoological Drawing from 1854 until his death. But he was also intensely interested in what lay underneath the physical appearance of animals - their inner vitality - and in this sense was in tune with his romantic contemporaries, for whom exotic or wild beasts held a particular fascination.
Although he obtained public commissions and enjoyed the patronage of the Dukes of Orleans, Luynes, Montpensier, and Nemours, Barye specialised in the relatively large-scale production small-scale animal sculptures. The expanding commercial market of the middle class helped ensure that his and other animalier sculptures gained in popularity through the latter half of the 19th century.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Walking Jaguar no. 2 |
Materials and techniques | Bronze |
Brief description | Walking Jaguar no. 2, bronze, modelled by Antoine-Louis Barye (1796-1875)and cast by Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892), France (Paris), modelled ca. 1840, cast ca.1890 |
Physical description | Bronze figure of a jaguar walking. |
Dimensions |
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Marks and inscriptions | Stamped F. BARBEDIENNE Fondeur. BARYE signature cast through from the model. (This foundry stamp starts being used from about 1877. Likely specifically cast for V&A)
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Object history | Purchased from the Barbedienne Foundry in 1890 and assigned to V&A’s circulation department. |
Production | By Ferdinand Barbedienne, after a model by Antoine-Louis Barye |
Subject depicted | |
Summary | This statuette was modelled by Antoine Louis Barye (1795-1875) as a pair to a Jaguar Standing. More than a decade later he modelled a slightly different pair, also of a jaguar walking paired with a jaguar standing but this time with their ears set back and on a rocky base. Barye exhibited his first animal sculpture in the Paris Salon of 1831 when he was dubbed an 'Animalier', a maker of animals. Initially applied with derogatory overtones, this term became widely used for sculptors - of whom Barye was first and foremost - who specialised in this genre. He was referred to as the 'Michelangelo of the Menagerie' by the contemporaneous art critic Théophile Gautier. Barye studied animals closely. He attended dissections of animals at the Museum of Natural History in Paris, where he served as the Master of Zoological Drawing from 1854 until his death. But he was also intensely interested in what lay underneath the physical appearance of animals - their inner vitality - and in this sense was in tune with his romantic contemporaries, for whom exotic or wild beasts held a particular fascination. Although he obtained public commissions and enjoyed the patronage of the Dukes of Orleans, Luynes, Montpensier, and Nemours, Barye specialised in the relatively large-scale production small-scale animal sculptures. The expanding commercial market of the middle class helped ensure that his and other animalier sculptures gained in popularity through the latter half of the 19th century. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | 99-1890 |
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Record created | November 3, 2008 |
Record URL |
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