Lying Hare - Richard Late 19th Century

Dimensions Height: approx. 5.5 cm Width: approx. 4.8cm Length: approx. 12.3 cm Weight: 418 grams Signature Signed on the motif Material Bronze composed of a piece resting on an ovoid base.
The sculptor has carved the elusive hare in an abandoned attitude, lying in the grass which he is nibbling. This small, delicately crafted bronze, with its compact and elongated shape, was designed more as a paperweight than as an ornamental bronze. Long considered minor, animal sculpture took off in the 19th century and will never be denied again. Until then very linked to classicism, the animal theme freed itself, notably thanks to Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1878), from the mythology which served as its support. From now on, artists choose to make animals the main subject of their work. The popularization of Natural Sciences had attracted interest in the animal, which had become a subject of study and inspiration. Launched by Antoine-Louis Barye, the Animaliers movement found in a few sculptors such as Emmanuel Frémiet (1824-1910) an exceptional cantor. Combining a spirit of observation and a sense of the picturesque, which he mixes with a grain of fantasy, he draws part of his inspiration from the revolutionary theories of Charles Darwin, which his proximity to the Natural History Museum allows him to follow.

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