Antoine-Louis Barye

Jacques Zoubaloff, Paris, France, until 1917;
his sale, Importante collection de bronzes provenant de la collection de M. Z..., Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 10-11 December 1917, lot 178;
and thence by descent to the present owner

Overall the condition of the bronze is very good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is some minor rubbing to the high points.
"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."

These two casts of Cheval surpris par un lion were brought together by one collector to illustrate Barye's most forceful compositions, the magisterial casting, finishing and patination of lifetime casts, and the critical eye with which the sculptor regarded all his models.There seems to be some disagreement among scholars about when the group was conceived. Johnston and Kelly maintain that the model can be identified with the Jeune lion attaquant un cheval that Barye exhibited at the Salon in 1833 whereas Poletti and Richarme suggest that Barye would not have been likely to change the name of a model over the course of his career and think the model was first edited around 1850.

Lot 15 is the first version of the group in which there is an increased focus on the animals' anatomy and the violent attack of the lion. The composition is almost mathematically arranged as a series of parallel lines. Note, for example, the direction of the horse's rear leg, the lion's back and the horse's neck. The naturalistic base gives the horse an unstable, slippery footing. The two animals are mostly contained within the base's confines, stressing the diagonal movement in the group. The lacquer patina known as feuille-d'automne is a subtly blended mix of autumn colours designed to emphasize the studied musculature of the animals. It is likely that less than thirty casts of the Première version survive. Lot 16 is Barye's further development  of the Cheval surpris par un lion and was first cast by the artist in 1857. By raising the group on a profiled base, stylising the terrasse, and thinning the tree trunk Barye attained a more vertically oriented group. The horse's tail is stretched and the head is directed further upwards to give the sense that the animal is tipping backwards under the lion's weight. Added to that Barye reworked the mane and tail so that the strands of hair are more defined. There are casts of this version of the Cheval Surpris in the Musée du Louvre, the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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 Delacroix 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 the 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 par un lion. 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.

RELATED LITERATURE
M. Poletti and A. Richarme, Barye. Catalogue raisonné des sculptures, Paris, 2000, nos. A121 and A122, pp. 255-256; W. R. Johnston and S. Kelly (eds.), Untamed. The art of Antoine-Louis Barye, exh. cat. Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, New York/ Munich/ London, 2006, pp. 124-125, no. 35