Antoine-Louis Barye

This work captures the realism that came to define Antoine-Louis Barye's oeuvre. The jaguar is shown here vigorously devouring the hare, whose lifeless body contorts from the grip.

Known as the 'Michelangelo of the Menagerie,' Barye's hyper-realistic bronzes often focused on the animal kingdom, speaking to the 19th century fascination with both the exotic and the then burgeoning science of zoology.

This composition was first exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1850, alongside a second bronze by the artist, Lapith Combating a Centaur. Together, these works captured the two sides of Antoine-Louis Barye's career: the romantic and the classical.

These bronzes were based off of smaller models and were produced during Barye's life and posthumously by various foundries. Barye was a well-renowned founder in Paris and often chiseled the bronze editions of his work himself.

Other versions of this composition can be found in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

RELATED LITERATURE

M. Poletti & A. Richarme, Barye Catalogue Raisonné des Sculptures, Paris, p. 236, no. A96.