Sculpture - Standing Bear No. 2 , Antoine - Louis Barye (1795-1875) - Bronze

Standing Bear No. 2 - Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1875)
Bronze with green-brown patina , representing a bear standing proudly on its hind legs .
Old edition sculpture , signed "BARYE" in hollow , on the naturalist terrace .
Old bronze , posthumous edition , early 20th century , circa 1920 .
Very good condition of conservation and patina .

Dimensions : 24.2 cm x 12.2 cm x 7 cm

So much realism is not due to chance .
Indeed, Antoine-Louis Barye knows animal anatomy perfectly .
The sculptor revolutionized the way animals are represented .
For him , they are no longer political symbols or mythological attributes , on the contrary, they become the unique subject, the animal as such and nothing else .
This vision of the subject allowed Antoine-Louis Barye to create unique works, imbued with elegance and naturalism . 

Antoine - Louis Barye (1795-1875) 

Famous for his animal sculptures , Antoine-Louis Barye is a silversmith's son , who is trained in metalwork with a military equipment manufacturer and Jacques - Henri Fauconnier.

In 1818 , he entered the Paris School of Fine Arts and apprenticed in the studio of sculptor François Joseph Bosio and painter Jean-Antoine Gros .
After several failures at theThe Grand Prix of Rome , Antoine-Louis Barye slammed the door of the Fine Arts in 1825 .
He then turned to animal sculpture which he would bring back up to date .
With his friend Delacroix , he goes regularly to the menagerie of the Natural History Museum to study and observe animals .

It was in 1831 that Barye made himself known to the general public by exhibiting " The Tiger Devouring a Gavial " (Louvre) at the Salon , a work staging a violent fight "of impressive virtuosity".
Two years later , he triumphed with "The Lion and the Snake" plaster , which was also successfully exhibited in its bronze version at the Salon of 1836 .
Preferring bronze to marble considered too cold , the artist multiplied statuettes and small groups animals,that he melts and chisels himself .

Barye died at the age of 80 , leaving behind an important production of drawings , watercolors and paintings as well as sculptures , pieces of goldsmith's work .
His works can be seen at the Louvre and Orsay Museums .