Wild Boar Hunting

This hunting scene in Sèvres biscuit is based on a model of surtout manufactured since 1776 following a project by Jean-Baptiste Oudry. This mass production was still marketed at the beginning of the 20th century. The original history of the “Surtout des chasses” - the name dates from the reissue - is difficult to reconstruct. The factory produced a series of enameled animal groups called “M. Oudry’s animals” very early on, which were partly simplified for the biscuit edition. It seems that the three groups of “La Chasse au cerf”, “La Chasse au loup” and “La Chasse au sanglier”, mentioned only once in the sales registers during a purchase by Louis XVI in 1776, have only their theme in common with these early works. As for the groups and side figures, they only appear in a register noting the price reductions of all the sculptures in 1787.