catalog text
EXCEPTIONAL BRONZE SCULPTURE OF A CICOGNE (STORK) WITH CRAB BY ALFRED BARYE
Signed “A. BARYE . F” on base
Item # 602DZR14Q
The excellent modeling of this bronze provides the viewer with an intimate image of the cicogne having just trapped a crab under its talons. The casting work is exquisite, the bird handsomely chiseled and filed with a warm brown patina over a highly detailed naturalistic coastal base with a black patina. The crab is perfectly cast with intricate claws and splayed legs projecting beside its body among the scattered shells and starfish of the rocky base. The subject is sand cast as a single piece, the base cast integral with the solid sculpture.
Modeled by the son of Antoine-Louis Barye, Alfred Barye probably had some inspiration for the subject from his father’s sculpture of a cicogne standing on the back of a tortoise; the present example is typical of his work, having an unusually fine patina with depth and incredible variation. Both father and son were inordinately hands-on in the casting and patination processes, for a considerable time operating the foundry personally and almost always handling or at least approving the finished examples prior to delivering them to clients.
Measurements: 4 3/8” H x 4 5/8” W x 2 1/2” D
Condition Report:
Some rubbing to patina in raised areas along ridges of back, light patina loss between two front toes. Overall excellent original condition.