Antoine-Louis Barye

Overall the condition of the bronze is very good. There is some minor wear and dirt consistent with age. The bronze was cast in separate pieces: joints are slightly visible at the necks of both animals.
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Barye's Cheval attaqué par un tigre was never edited in the sculptor's lifetime. Whilst some, marked, Susse casts appear – the foundry bought the model in the 1876 Vente Barye - the majority of examples were cast by Hector Brame. The present model is a Brame cast. The subject matter and energy of the sculpture suggest that it may have been modelled in the early Romantic period of Barye's career: Poletti and Richarme raise the possibility that it could be related to the groups conceived for the Surtout de table du duc d'Orléans. It also relates to the Cheval attaqué par un lion, conceived before 1850. It is certainly one of the most dynamic and tumultuous models of Barye's oeuvre. The sketch-like treatment of the base and the horse's mane give it spontaneity, while the forces of the two creatures are clearly felt, as the tiger leaps onto the horse's back, causing it to buckle and press its heavy body to the ground. The tiger maintains his precarious grip with its claws, slicing through the horse's skin.

The foundry model of Cheval attaqué par un tigre is in the Louvre Museum, Paris. Another bronze version is in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.

RELATED LITERATURE
Pivar, p. 207, no. A151; La griffe et la dent, no. 57, p. 101; Poletti & Richarme (2000), p. 258, no. A 123