Antoine-louis Barye (1795-1875) - "eagle On A Rock"

"Eagle, wings outstretched, beak open, naturalist terrace" Very fine bronze proof with brown patina on a green background Old cast by Ferdinand Barbedienne - Bears the Gold FB stamp on the left rear of the naturalist terrace Signed "AL Barye" near the right paw Circa 1880/85 Height: 25 cm Length: 34 cm Depth: 26 cm Bibliography: Model reproduced in the work "Les Bronzes de Barbedienne" by Florence Rionnet published by Arthena page 252 and in the work "Bary" by MM Poletti and Richarme page 232 under the reference A 188 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 metalworking with a military equipment manufacturer and with Jacques-Henri Fauconnier. In 1818, he entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and apprenticed in the studio of the sculptor François Joseph Bosio and the painter Jean-Antoine Gros. After several failures at the Grand Prix de Rome, Barye left the Beaux-Arts in 1825. He then turned to animal sculpture, which he would bring back into fashion. With his friend Delacroix, he regularly went to the menagerie of the Natural History Museum to study and observe animals. It was in 1831 that 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 Serpent in plaster, which was also successfully exhibited in its bronze version at the 1836 Salon. Preferring bronze to marble, which was 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 at the Louvre, then he became a professor of natural history drawing at the School of Agronomy in Versailles and he was appointed professor of zoology drawing at the Museum. At this time, he trained a large number of students and the editions of his bronzes multiplied. Barye died at the age of 95, leaving behind a significant production of drawings, watercolors and paintings as well as sculptures and goldwork pieces. Many of his works can be seen at the Louvre and Orsay museums. Galerie Paris-Manaus