ATTRIBUTED TO ANTOINE LOUIS BARYE | ARAB HORSEMAN ATTACKING A LION

This beautiful terracotta has all of the freshness and spontaneity of an artist's model. Compositionally it relates closely to a model by the great French 19th-century animalier sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1875) entitled Cavalier arabe tuant un lion in which an Arab horseman spears a ferocious lion as his horse rears. Both models are imbued with the Romantic spirit of the first half of the 19th century, exemplified by the paintings of Delacroix. Although the Cavalier arabe tuant un lion is not dated, it was probably conceived prior to 1850. The present terracotta displays a deep knowledge of animal anatomy, as well as Romantic drama, which points to a possible attribution to Barye, the greatest Romantic sculptor of the age. 

RELATED LITERATURE

M. Poletti and A. Richarme, Barye: Catalogue raisonné des sculptures, Paris, 2000, p. 84, no. F15