Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1875) - Lion au Serpent

"Lion with a snake" known as "Lion of the Tuileries

Very nice proof in bronze with brown patina on a shaded green background
Cast by Barbedienne, marked " Barbedienne Fondeur " on the plinth of the terrace
Signed under the right front
Around 1880/1890

Height: 37 cm
Length: 48 cm
Width: 27 cm

Biography:
Antoine-Louis BARYE (1795-1875)

Famous for his animal sculptures, Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1875) was the son of a goldsmith who trained in metalwork with a military equipment manufacturer and with Jacques-Henri Fauconnier. In 1818, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and apprenticed in the studio of sculptor François Joseph Bosio and painter Jean-Antoine Gros.
After several unsuccessful attempts at the Grand Prix de Rome, Barye resigned from the Beaux-Arts in 1825. He then turned to animal sculpture, which he brought back into fashion. With his friend Delacroix, he regularly went to the menagerie of the Museum of Natural History to study and observe animals. In 1831, Barye became known to the general public by exhibiting at the Salon Le Tigre dévorant un gavial (Louvre), a work depicting a violent fight "of impressive virtuosity".
Two years later, he triumphed with the Lion with a Snake in plaster, which was also successfully exhibited in its bronze version at the 1836 Salon. Preferring bronze to marble considered too cold, the artist multiplied the statuettes and small animal groups that he cast and chiseled himself. After a difficult period, the Second Empire gave him a second wind.
The artist had a studio in the Louvre, then became a professor of natural history drawing at the Versailles School of Agronomy and was appointed professor of zoology drawing at the Museum. At this time, he trained many students and the number of editions of his bronzes increased.
Barye died at the age of 95, leaving behind him an important production of drawings, watercolors and paintings as well as sculptures and goldsmith's pieces.
Many of his works can be seen in the Louvre and Orsay museums.


Very good state of conservation