catalog text
"CERF DEBOUT" (STAG STANDING) BRONZE SCULPTURE AFTER ANTOINE-LOUIS BARYE (FRENCH, 1796-1875)
Signed in case BARYE, foundry mark in cursive "Susse Fres., Paris"; conceived 1829, sand-cast circa 1850-70
Item # 002EWK11Q
While Antoine-Louis Barye was still relatively unknown and prior to his 1830 initial exhibition at the Paris Salon, in 1829 Susse Freres bought the rights to three of his stag subjects including Cerf Debout. While it was included in their 1844 sales catalogue, the Animalier subject was not popular and did not sell well. As the movement grew in popularity, Susse cast all three of these models for their clients well into the twentieth century.
The present model is stamped with the marking used by Susse during the years of 1850 through 1875. A rich and well detailed model, it is finished in a complex green surface patination with black highlights. It is the "Grand Original" model, the largest version offered by Susse at an impressive 19 5/8" in height.
The same model is held in the permanent collection of both the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore. Early casts by Susse are rare finds on the open market.
Literature & Further Reading:
- Susse Fréres: 150 Years of Sculpture, Pierre Cadet, 1992, p. 33, fig. 47 (48 cm)
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acc. no. 2007.488 for identical model cast by Susse, 19 7/8" x 19 7/8" x 10 1/4"
- The Founders and Editors of the Barye Bronzes, J.G. Reinis, 2007, p. 127
- Barye: Catalogue Raisonné des Sculptures, Poletti & Richarme, 2000, p. 290, f. A 149
- Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, acc. no. 27.160
Measurements: 19 5/8" W x 8 1/2" D x 19 5/8" H
Condition Report:
Wear to patina on haunches and antlers. A very fine presentation.