Sculpture - Basset Sitting , Antoine - Louis Barye (1795-1875) - Bronze

Bronze proof with brown patina , depicting a sitting basset hound , long-haired , head turned to the left , by the sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1875) . 
So much realism is not due to chance . 
Indeed , Antoine-Louis Barye knows animal anatomy perfectly .
The sculptor revolutionized the way of representing animals .
For him , they are no longer political symbols or mythological attributes , on the contrary , they become the unique subject , the animal as such and nothing else . 
This vision of the subject allowed Antoine-Louis Barye to create unique works , imbued with elegance and naturalism . 
Signature of the sculptor "BARYE" in hollow , on the naturalist terrace , richly chiseled . 
Ancient bronze , period second part of the 19th century . 
Very good state of conservation and patina . 

Dimensions : 14 cm x 25.5 cm (at the dog's tail) x 9.7 cm

Antoine - Louis Barye (1795-1875)

Famous for his animal sculptures , Antoine-Louis Barye is a silversmith's son , who is trained in metalwork with a military equipment manufacturer and Jacques - Henri Fauconnier.

In 1818 , he entered the Paris School of Fine Arts and apprenticed in the studio of sculptor François Joseph Bosio and painter Jean-Antoine Gros .
After several failures at theThe Grand Prix of Rome , Antoine-Louis Barye slammed the door of the Fine Arts in 1825 .
He then turned to animal sculpture which he would bring back up to date .
With his friend Delacroix , he goes regularly to the menagerie of the Natural History Museum to study and observe animals .

It was in 1831 that Barye made himself known to the general public by exhibiting "The Tiger Devouring a Gavial" (Louvre) at the Salon , a work staging a violent fight "of impressive virtuosity".
Two years later , he triumphed with "The Lion and the Snake" plaster , which was also successfully exhibited in its bronze version at the Salon of 1836 .
Preferring bronze to marble considered too cold , the artist multiplied statuettes and small groups animals,that he melts and chisels himself .

Barye died at the age of 80 , leaving behind an important production of drawings , watercolors and paintings as well as sculptures , pieces of goldsmith's work .
His works can be seen at the Louvre and Orsay Museums .

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