Small Bronze Sculpture Pierre-jules Leads Greyhound Levrette At La Boule Nineteenth

Small bronze sculpture representing a dog (greyhound) playing, "Levrette à la Boule", signed PJ Mène *, from the 19th century This sculpture is in good condition. It is signed on the terrace. A note: wear of time on the bronze, see photos. * Pierre-Jules Mène (1810-1879): the most famous animal sculptor after Barye. Although very early attracted by the sculpture and the animals, it must to live to practice trades little in relation to its vocation. He made his debut at the Salon in 1838 and quickly became popular. His "Dog strangling a fox" preludes to an infinity of statuettes and groups where the horse holds a preponderant place but where there are also many hunting scenes, stags and hinds, dogs, birds, farmyard animals and only a few big cats. Like Barye, Mène opened his own foundry in 1837 to publish his works and, later, those of his son-in-law, the sculptor Auguste Cain. The models of the two artists are bought (after their death) by the founder Susse who will continue to publish them (with mention "Susse founder publisher Paris"). His works are present in many French museums (Château Fontainebleau, Paris (Museum of Decorative Arts, Carnavalet, Louvre, Petit Palais), Nîmes... (excerpt from Les bronzes du XIXème siècle by P. Kjellberg) Artist highly rated on Artprice Dimensions Height 11 cm Base 15 cm x 9.3 cm Reference: 810 236 All the photos are on: www.antiques-delaval.com