catalog text
ANTOINE-LOUIS BARYE (FRENCH, 1796-1875)
"WALKING LEOPARD"
Patinated bronze bas-relief plaque on black slate | Signed "BARYE 1831" | Conceived 1831, first edition cast 1845, this cast not dated
Item # 108FPP24L
An incredibly fine and well-preserved bas-relief plaque of Walking Leopard mounted on the original polished black-slate backing, this exquisite model shows a remarkable surface texture beneath the reddish-brown overall patina. The exact same model with identical texture and surface detail is held in the permanent collection of the Walters Art Gallery (acc. no. 27.495). The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds the earlier variation of this model with the cold-stamped signature along the lower edge (acc. no. 12.149.8). A slightly inferior model is held in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum of Art (acc. no. 10.193) titled Puma. The Philadelphia Museum of Art also holds the same model (acc. no. W1893-1-159).
It is notable that the bas-relief remains mounted on the original polished black slate backing, this set with finely machined bronze mounting hardware and affixed with a pair of slotted screws from the reverse. It is marked on the back in period script "5103 A" and "60 la Paire".
Artist Listings & Bibliography:
- Barye: Catalogue raisonné des sculptures, Poletti & Richarme, p. 360, fig. A220
- The Barye Bronzes: A catalogue raisonne, Pivar, p. 61, p. 261, f. R10
- Antoine-Louis Barye: Sculptor of Romantic Realism, Benge, p. 82-3 [discussion of present model], fig. 62
- The Founders and Editors of the Barye Bronzes, Reinis, see p. 5 of the 1865 Barye catalogue
Measurements: 3" H x 5 1/2" W [bronze only]; 4 7/16" H x 6 15/16" W x 3/4" D [total]
Condition Report:
Exquisite original condition. No flaws.