- 31
Antoine-Louis Barye
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 GBP
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Description
- Antoine-Louis Barye
- cheval surpris par un lion (seconde version) (horse surprised by a lion)
- signed: BARYE
- bronze, dark brown patina with green and red-brown highlights, on veined green marble base
Condition
Overall the condition of the bronze is very good. There is some minor wear to the patina consistent with age and handling. There is some minor greening to the patina. There are a few minor chips to the edge of the marble base.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
From 1823 Barye frequented the menagerie of the Musée nationale d'histoire naturelle, where he could scrutinise the wild animals preserved in their natural attitudes. Another such occasion was called to his attention by his friend Delacriox in a letter: 'Le lion est mort. Au galop. Le temps qu'il fait nous activer'. The lion in question was one of Admiral Rigny's great lions in the Paris Menagerie whose corpse had been transferred to the Laboratoire d'Anatomie. There the painter and sculptor took anatomical drawings from the carcass and the lion was placed in a number of lifelike positions, including being suspended with paws extended in the manner of the Cheval Surpris. From this Barye created a composition with a rearing horse, quoting from antique originals and Giambologna's Lion Attacking a Horse, but reinterpreting them through Romantic realism.
The motif of the rearing horse and lion appears with some adaptions in another Barye composition - the Deux Cavaliers arabes tuant un lion. There are casts of the Cheval Surpris in the Louvre Museum, the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore and the Metropolitan Museum, New York.
RELATED LITERATURE
M. Poletti and A. Richarme, Barye. Catalogue raisonné des sculptures, Paris, 2000, no. A122, p. 256
The motif of the rearing horse and lion appears with some adaptions in another Barye composition - the Deux Cavaliers arabes tuant un lion. There are casts of the Cheval Surpris in the Louvre Museum, the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore and the Metropolitan Museum, New York.
RELATED LITERATURE
M. Poletti and A. Richarme, Barye. Catalogue raisonné des sculptures, Paris, 2000, no. A122, p. 256