catalog text
ALFRED BARYE
French, 1839 - 1882
Knight on Horseback
Patinated bronze over verde marble base | Signed in cast "53 A. BARYE"
Item # 202FPW12Q
An exquisite casting of a Knight on Horseback after the model by Alfred Barye, it is an exacting and powerful representation of both horse and rider and we are unaware of any other recorded castings of this model. While Alfred always lived in the shadow of his father's work, his equestrian subjects were his most prized and he had an active market for them in both France and England. The present model is particularly interesting as it almost perfectly opposes his model of Jeanne d'Arc à cheval while it also shows the incredible influence his father's work had on him. The upright posture of the seated knight with a distant gaze in his eyes scanning the unseen onlookers is mirrored in his father's Le Duc d'Orleans, while the horse is decorated and carefully modeled after the elder's depiction of Gaston de Foix; the knight's garments and general positioning is likely influenced by Charles VII Victorieux.
In this model, the visor on the houndskull bascinet is raised, this being some kind of figurative helmet with the nose and mouth of a jester. His outstretched arm likely held a jousting lance or perhaps carried a standard while his other hands loosely grip the horse's reigns. The proud beast steps forward with confidence in loose armoring over a naturalistic rectangular base. The edge of the base is signed "A. BARYE" and is cold-stamped "53". The sculpture is finished in an overall dark brown surface patina with a nuanced green undertone coming through. It is raised on a stepped verde marble base.
Measurements: [bronze only] 16 1/8" H x 5" D [base is 2 3/4" D] x 13 3/4" W [base is 9 3/4" W]; [total dimensions with base] 20 1/2" H
Condition Report:
Knight missing lance in outstretched hand. Otherwise exquisite original condition.