L`Atelier de Barye

Transcription

L`Atelier de Barye

Barye cover X2
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L’Atelier de Barye
L’Atelier
de Barye
THE SLADMORE GALLERY 2007
SLADMORE
A GROUP OF RARE
SCULPTURES FROM
THE
ARTIST’S ATELIER
SPINE WIDTH = 6mm
VERSION 1
Barye Catalogue 2007
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All items are subject to prior sale
ISBN:1 901403 16 5
Due to the ambiguities inherent in measuring complex three dimensional objects, the measurements given
throughout this catalogue are primarily to provide the reader with a sense of each sculpture’s scale. They are not
intended for reference in issues of authentication etc.
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A group of rare sculptures from the artist’s Atelier
and other related works.
15th May - 22nd June 2007
The Sladmore Gallery,
57 Jermyn Street, St. James’s, London SW1Y 6LX.
Tel: +44(0) 207 629 1144 email: [email protected] web: www.sladmore.com
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INTRODUCTION
It is some years since the Sladmore's last selling exhibition dedicated solely
to the works of Antoine-Louis Barye. He is without doubt one of France's
greatest sculptors of the nineteenth century and his work is to be found in
most important museum collections around the world.
This year also sees a major show of his work at the Walters Art Museum in
Baltimore, USA, with the exhibits taken not just from their own superb
collection but also from The Baltimore Museum of Art. The impressive
catalogue that accompanies this exhibition is essential reading for any Barye
enthusiast.
As art dealers we are often judged by those works we have for sale in our
gallery which in turn makes us dependant on what is available. The original
inspiration for this exhibition was our good fortune in finding and
purchasing a small collection of Barye's plaster and wax working models,
bronze master models and atelier castings. In addition, by chance over the
last few months we have also acquired fine examples of all three of Barye's
largest edited works, each extremely rare on the market today and one an
exceptional 'chef-modèle'.
Collectively these works, together with our existing stock of Barye bronzes
and complemented by some rare drawings, offer a rare insight into this
renowned sculptors working practices and unite, we hope, to create an
exhibition that is both visually and intellectually stimulating.
Edward Horswell
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List of Exhibits
47. Axis Stag, c.1837…………………………………………......
48. Axis Deer, 1850……………………………………………….
49. Tortoise, c.1845……………………………………………….
50. Tortoise on a base, 1830…………………………………..
51. Ethiopian Gazelle, 1834…………………………………...
52. Reclining Doe, 1840………………………………………..
53. Stag in landscape c.1850…………………………………..
54. Outline Stag, c.1840…………………………………………
55. Food Warmer, c.1880……………………………………….
56. Spaniel, c.1840……………………………………………..…
57. Spaniel, c.1840…………………………………………….…..
58. Spaniel, c.1850………………………………………………..
59. Sleeping Rabbit, c.1840……………………………….……
60. Crouching Rabbit, c.1840…………………………………
61. Seated Hare, c.1870………………………………………….
62. Tazza with Vines, c.1845…………………………………..
63. Chimera Incense Burner, c.1850………………....……
64. Leda and the Swan seal, c.1830…………………………
1. Theseus and the Minotaur, 1843…………………….... page 9
2. Roger and Angelique, 1840…………………………...... page 11
3. Arab on a Camel, 1870………………………………….... page 12
4. Caucasian Warrior, 1870………………………………….. page 12
5. The Tiger Hunt, c.1834……………………………………. page 13
6. Lion and Serpent, 1833………………………………...... page 15
7. Lion and Serpent, 1838…………………………………… page 16
8. Lion and Serpent, sketch 1832……………………....... page 17
9. Standing Lion, c.1835……………………………………... page 17
10. Seated Lion, c.1850……………………………………….... page 18
11. Seated Lion, large version, 1847………………………... page 19
12. Tiger Devouring a Gavial, 1831………………………… page 20
13. Tiger and Gavial, medium version, c.1831...…….... page 23
14. Jaguar Devouring a Hare, 1850…………………….…… page 24
15. Panther of Tunis, c.1860………………………………….. page 26
16. Panther of Tunis, small version, c.1857……………... page 27
17. Tiger Surprising a Stag, c.1835………………………….. page 28
18. Panther and Civet Cat, c.1850………………………….. page 29
19. Panther holding a Gazelle, 1834……………………….. page 30
20. Jaguar with Horse’s Head, 1837………………………... page 31
21. Turkish Horse, left leg raised, c.1840……………….… page 33
22. Turkish Horse, left leg raised c.1850……….………... page 34
23. Half Blood Horse, Head Up, c.1840…………………. page 37
24. Half Blood Horse, Head Down, 1845……………….. page 37
25. Half Blood Horse, Head Up, c.1840…………….….... page 37
26. Rearing Bull, 1841…………………………………………... page 38
27. Study of a Bull, c.1840……………………………….…….. page 38
28. Seated Bear, 1831……………………………………………. page 41
29. Bear in Combat, c.1835………………………………….... page 41
30. Rhino & Tiger, c.1845…………………………………...... page 42
31. Water Buffalo, c.1870…………………………………....... page 43
32. Ape and Gnu, c.1840…………………………………....... page 44
33. Gnu, c.1840………………………………………………....... page 45
34. Cochin Elephant, c.1870………………………………..... page 46
35. Cochin Elephant, c.1870………………………………..... page 46
36. Elephant in Landscape, c.1835……………….…………. page 47
37. Asian Elephant, c.1850………………………………….…. page 47
38. Asian Elephant, c.1850…………………………….…....... page 47
39. Elephant of Senegal bookends, c.1900…………….... page 48
40. Elephant of Senegal, c.1870…………………………...... page 48
41. Elephant of Senegal, large version c.1870…………... page 50
42. Walking Pheasant, head right, c.1840……………...... page 53
43. Walking Pheasant, head right, c.1840……………...... page 53
44. Parrot with head right, c. 1840…………………….….... page 53
45. Parrot with head left, c. 1840………………………….... page 53
46. Virginia Stag, c.1875………………………………….…..... page 54
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Catalogue
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1.
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Theseus and the Minotaur, 1843
(Thésée combattant le Minotaure)
Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1860
Height: 18˝ (46cm), Length: 12˝ (30cm)
‘Feuille d’automne’ patina of orangey brown with
green and black undertones.
Horswell p.54, Pivar p.84, P&R p.106
Renowned as an animalier without equal, Barye also completed
around twelve works that have a mythological theme. Perhaps his
attraction to these subjects lay in the fact that many of them involve
half-man half-beast creatures thus giving full reign to his imagination
and skill. Theseus and the Minotaur is no exception and whilst close
to a dozen other similar works exist in nineteenth century European
sculpture none have the close-coupled tension and vitality of Barye’s
version. The idea for this particular pose is thought to have come
from a drawing by Gericault originally in Barye’s collection and now
at the Walters Art Museum.
Two versions exists of this subject of which this cast is the rare early
version. Barye entered the plaster model along with two ‘studies’ of
Bulls at the Salon of 1843, however all were refused. The bronze was
finally accepted in 1851 when it met with immediate critical acclaim.
This cast is a wonderful example from the sculptors own atelier
dating from shortly after Barye regained control of his models from
Martin in 1857. The attention to detail and finishing of the cast are
of a high standard and the patina is a fine multicoloured mix of his
signicature browns, greens and black.
Few lifetime examples of this version exist as firstly production of a
model of this scale would not have been large in Barye’s own atelier
and secondly he released a second version in 1857 with a more
worked surface and decorative base. In addition, posthumous casts
are also rare as the rights of reproduction were bought by Brame at
the Vente Barye of 1876 and few examples from his workshop are
known, although many exist of the second version the rights to
which were purchased by Barbedienne.
This model is without doubt one of Barye’s greatest works and when
exhibited at the Exposition Universelle of 1855, Achille Deveria
described it as: ‘a small masterpiece in the antique style’. The cast
from this exhibition is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in
London and other examples are to be found in many major
museums.
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2.
Roger and Angelique, 1840
(Angélique et Roger, montés sur l’Hippogriffe)
Bronze, atelier Barye/Brame, cast circa 1875
‘Feuille d’automne’ patina of orangey brown with
green and black undertones
Whilst not a classical subject, this work is of a similar theme to
Barye’s other mythylogical pieces and is one of his most spectacular
sculptures. Originally commissioned by the Duke de Montpensier
around 1840, Barye’s inspiration came from Ariosto’s epic poem
Orlando Furioso , a series of chivalric romances centered around the
hapless pursuit of the beautiful Angelica. In his first version, of
which there are only three known examples, Barye modelled the
Hippogriff, a mythological animal half-horse half-griffin, with its
beak open. This was subsequently altered, and the final finished
version has the Hippogriff’s beak closed.
Despite this subtle change few examples were cast during Barye’s
lifetime, perhaps because it is unlike any other in his oeuvre and also,
listed at FF800 it was also one of his most expensive works. This
current fine quality example dates from around the end of Barye’s
life. It was Brame who had purchased the rights of reproduction for
this final version at the Vente Barye of 1876 and, as he cleverly used
many of the artisans working in Barye’s atelier including Henri
Coupens (credited with many of the outstanding patinas found on
Barye bronzes), it is often hard to date these works exactly.
Whatever it’s exact date, this is a fine cast of this outstanding model,
examples of which are rarely seen on the market today. It is unique
in Barye’s oeuvre both for its subject matter and with the exception
of his rare desk seal of Leda and the Swan (see cat. no. 64) for its
erotic undertones. Despite its size it has a rare jewel-like quality,
which perhaps harks back to Barye’s days with the goldsmith
Fauconnier and is a tour de force of nineteenth century European
sculpture.
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3.
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Arab on a Camel, 1870
(Dromadaire monté par un Arabe)
Height: 91/2˝ (25cm), Length: 8˝ (20cm)
Green patina with orangey-brown undertones.
Pivar p.89, P&R p.89
This model first appeared in Barye’s last sales catalogue of 1874 but
the fine quality of this atelier cast would indicate that it was
produced a few years earlier. It is not possible to say exactly when
Barye finished this model but it probably dates from the late 1860’s
and lifetime casts are rare. The rights of reproduction were
purchased at the Vente Barye of 1876 by Delafontaine who cast the
piece up until at least 1905, however posthumous examples are few.
4.
Caucasian Warrior, 1870
(Guerrier du Caucase)
Green, black and medium brown patina.
Pivar p.87, P&R p.78.
Like the Arab on a Camel, this model also first appeared in Barye’s
sales catalogue of 1874. The rights of reproduction were again
purchased by Delafontaine whose castings were stamped AD
surmounted by a star. The present example is however a rare fine
quality example from the sculptor’s atelier, circa 1870.
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The Tiger Hunt, c.1834
(Chasse au Tigre)
3 drawings, pencil and charcoal on paper.
Each stamped with the ‘Vente Barye’ sale stamp: ‘BARYE’
Height: 41/2˝ (11.5cm), Length: 4˝ (10cm)
Height: 51/2˝ (14cm), Length: 31/2˝ (9cm)
A rare set of three working drawings directly related to one of
Barye’s famed hunt groups commissioned by the Duc d’Orleans in
1834. The Tiger Hunt was the largest of the five principle hunt
groups and was destined to sit atop a triumphant arch surrounded
by the four lesser hunt groups (see P & R p.432 for a sketch of this
proposed grouping).
Originally these three drawings were mounted together in one frame
and are probably the work listed in Poletti and Richarme as CS83
on page 433, incorrectly assumed to be a plaster. They were
exhibited in 1889 at the important Barye exhibition, on loan from
the Villedieu-Barye Collection.
fig 1.
Tiger Hunt, 1836, bronze, courtesy of The Walters Art
Museum, Baltimore.
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Lion and Serpent, 1833
(Lion au Serpent – Lion des Tuileries)
Bronze chef modèle, cast circa 1876
Rich dark green patina with black undertones
The model of the Lion and Serpent was first shown as a life-size
plaster example at the Salon of 1832 and it is one of Barye’s best
known works with at least five smaller variants produced by him
during his lifetime. Most of these were edited in some numbers both
during his lifetime and posthumously. The present work is a half
lifesize version remodelled by Barye and first shown in bronze at the
Exposition Universelle of 1855. Few further casts of this model were
made by Barye during his lifetime and it was listed in his various sales
catalogues without dimensions or price. At the Vente Barye of 1876
the rights of reproduction for this model were sold as lot no. 493 and
unusually did not include a bronze chef-modèle, only the studio
plaster. Bearing in mind the large scale of this work this is not
surprising, indeed no chef-modèle in bronze was produced by Barye
for the life-size Lion and Serpent or for the one metre Tiger and
Gavial (see cat. no.12). Furthermore, very few lifetime casts would
have been made of any of the larger works by Barye – in fact only one
was made of his most famous work, the life-size Lion and Serpent –
thus it was not practical or economical for him to produce a bronze
chef-modèle. At the studio dispersal sale of 1876 this model was
bought by Hector Brame, along with over 70 other works with
rights of reproduction. Confident that with the right promotion
he would generate multiple sales for all his Barye works he set
about commissioning chef-modèles where necessary. Thus the
present unique work was made for Brame shortly after 1876
and was used to make the sand moulds from which the
subsequent bronze edition would have been produced.
Despite going to this considerable expense, few
examples are known today of this rare mid-scale
model (for one example see ‘Untamed-The Art of
Antoine-Louis Barye’ cat.no.17, Walters Art
Museum, Baltimore, 18 February to 6 May
2007, on loan from the Baltimore Museum of
Art, The Jacob Epstein Collection).
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Lion and Serpent, 1838
After the success of his life-size Lion and Serpent which was
purchased in bronze by the state and is now in the Louvre Museum,
Barye modelled in 1838 this version which became the most popular
of all the renditions of the Lion and Serpent and is without doubt
one of the emblematic Barye sculptures. It was also one of the most
successful models during the Martin years with twenty eight casts
listed in the accounts as being sold between 1850 and 1857. The
present example is a fine quality example from the years after Barye’s
association with Martin when he had regained control of his models
and was producing bronzes with his signature ‘feuille d’automne’
patina. Examples of this model are to be found in most major
museums.
(Lion au Serpent no.1)
Bronze, cast circa 1865
‘Feuille d’automne’ patina of orangey brown with green and
black undertones
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9.
Standing Lion, c.1835
(Le Lion, equisse)
Drawing, pencil on paper.
Stamped with the ‘Vente Barye’ sale stamp: ‘BARYE’
A rare working drawing, heightened with watercolour, sold at the
Vente Barye studio dispersal sale of 1876.
8.
Lion and Serpent, sketch 1832
Whilst Barye’s first success at the all important Salon was in 1831
with the Tiger and Gavial, the Lion and Serpent shown two years
later captured the imagination of the public to a far greater extent.
This may well have been because it was felt to have a political
implication in its subject and much has been written about its
association with the July Monarchy. This version is a true sketch and
cast in bronze by 1832 probably predates the lifesize version which
was only shown at the Salon of 1833 in plaster. Poletti and Richarme
state that it was Barye’s preferred version out of the five separate
models he produced of this iconic subject. This cast is a fine example
made shortly after the model’s inception and was originally part of
the Sarlin Collection which was dispersed at the Hotel Drouot
auction rooms in a one owner sale in 1918 (see also fig.2).
(Lion au Serpent no.3, esquisse)
black undertones
Provenance: Collection Sarlin
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10.
Seated Lion, c.1850
(Lion Assis no.2)
Plaster with applied wax working model, atelier Barye,
circa 1850
Provenance: Vente Barye, 1876, lot no.664 or 665
Vente Collection Jacques Zoubaloff, 16-17 June 1927,
catalogue no.204, illustrated
Private Collection, France
Stage one of Barye's recognised working practice began with his
modelling the subject in a soft medium such as wax. Bearing in
mind the instability of this first medium and the length of time that
Barye worked and reworked each piece before arriving at a
prototype, he would mould this wax and cast a plaster. The second
and perhaps most important stage then began with Barye working
this plaster original, pairing down the surface in some areas and
adding with the application of soft wax in other areas. It was these
plaster and wax originals that would become the finished prototype
from which the first bronze chef-modèle would be cast. Due to their
obvious fragility, very few of these plasters survived and those that
did are almost all the reserve of museum collections worldwide. We
presume that along with the Panther of Tunis chef-modèle (see
cat.no.15) this rare working model was purchased by Monsieur
Lambert from the Zoubaloff Collection Sale of 1927 as they both
formed part of a private collection acquired by the gallery earlier this
year. The original inspiration for this piece was a commission for a
pair of lifesize lions to be placed in the Tuileries Gardens in 1846.
They were later moved, to the Quai-side at the Louvre in 1867,
where they reside today. Barye worked with the Seated Lion
composition to produce five versions of the model in varying sizes
of which this is the smallest. Listed in Poletti and Richarme’s
excellent catalogue raisonnee under ‘Lion Assis no.3’ as
whereabouts unknown, this working model actually relates to ‘Lion
Assis no.2’.
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11.
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Seated Lion, large version, 1847
(Lion Assis no.1)
Reddy brown patina with black undertones.
Barye’s first seated and standing lions preserved a certain heraldic
symmetry and nobility. He created some half dozen distinct seated
lions, all in association with his commission to design two lions for
what became known as the ‘Port des Lions’ of the Palais du Louvre.
These can still be seen today, but the bronzes that led up to them
are by far the more characteristic of the artist’s modelling skills.
While the pose is conventional and ornamental in the present
piece, the grand mane distantly evokes the extravagant wigs of
French monarchs. There is also, already the sense of Barye’s
fascination with the form of the animal’s limbs and the
gathered strength of the physique. The artist is playing
here with the calm repose that contains the ferocious
power depicted in his more violent lion sculptures.
This good quality cast is the rare, large Seated
Lion, which in comparison with the three
smaller models was cast in far fewer
numbers. Like the Roger and
Angelique, (cat.no.2), the rights of
reproduction for this model were
bought by Brame in 1876 and
this cast dates from around
this period.
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12.
Tiger Devouring a Gavial, 1831
(Tigre dévorant un Gavial, grandeur originale)
Bronze, Brame Fondeur, cast circa 1880
Height: 16˝ ( 40cm), Length: 41˝ (105cm)
Medium brown patina with green undertones
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The inspiration for Barye’s Tiger and Gavial is not certain but was
possibly a painting by a little known English artist James Northcote.
Whilst his rendition of a Tiger looking warily at a Crocodile differs
considerably from Barye’s finished sculpture, Northcote also painted
around 1800 another painting of a Lion and Serpent which is in
composition strikingly similar to Barye’s famous model completed
some thirty years later. This may be mere coincidence and what is
probably more relevant was the arrival of a live tiger in Paris in 1829
with Henry Martin’s travelling menagerie, shortly followed by the
arrival of a Bengal tiger at the Jardin des Plantes in August 1830.
Whatever the inspiration, the sculpture’s arrival at the Salon of 1831
caused a sensation. It broke with tradition, was full of passion and
drama and was the product of a creative, Romantic imagination.
Along with his other Salon entries of the same year, it was
instrumental in revolutionising sculpture and Barye was awarded a
second place medal.
Delacroix, his frequent companion at the Jardin des Plantes
remarked, ‘I wish I could put a twist in a tiger’s tail like that
man’ and it was pronounced ‘the strongest and most original
work in the exhibition’.
Only two lifetime bronze casts are known of this model, one in the
Louvre cast in lost wax in 1832 by Honore Gonon and the second
in the Musee de Dunkerque. Barye chose to produce no chef modele
in bronze, a further indication that few casts were made during his
lifetime. Once again it was Brame who purchased the rights to this
model and he who is responsible for the few bronze casts that
exists today.
The importance of this work both to the making of Barye’s
reputation but also to the development of modern sculpture can not
be overlooked. It had a profound influence on sculptors of the day
as the art critic Charles Blanc wrote at the time of the Barye
retrospective ‘I do not know what the public thought of these works,
but all the artists of the new school (Romanticism) were astonished
and enraptured. They found there what they had vainly sought in
the works of their elders, the true perception of life, of truth,
of liberty’.
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13.
Tiger and Gavial, medium version, c.1831
(Tigre dévorant un Gavial)
Height: 8˝ (20cm), Length: 20˝ (51cm),
Dark green patina with medium brown and black undertones.
This first reduction was first edited by Barye in 1845 and from the
surviving account book of the Martin Barye partnership we know
that he sold ten casts of this version between 1850 and 1857. The
rights of reproduction were purchased in 1876 by Brame and this
example is from around this change over period.
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14.
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Jaguar Devouring a Hare, 1850
(Jaguar dévorant un Lièvre)
Bronze,‘Collection Barbedienne’ cast circa 1877
Medium brown patina with black undertones
Another masterpiece, this model from midway through the
sculptor’s working life, marked a turning point for the artist. The
Jaguar and Hare is, along with the Tiger and Gavial (cat.no.12) and
the Lion and Serpent (cat.no.6), one of the three largest works
edited by Barye during his lifetime. Few life-time casts were made
although Barye did produce a chef-modèle in bronze. This chefmodèle along with the rights of reproduction was purchased by
Barbedienne in 1876 and he proceeded to cast some fine quality
examples in the years that followed. The present example is a
‘Collection Barbedienne’ marked cast, and was produced to their
highest capabilities. The year 1850 marked Barye’s return to the
Salon after an absence of thirteen years and he exhibited several
works including his original plaster of the Jaguar and Hare. Gustave
Planche wrote that Barye’s entries that year were ‘the
crowning glory of his experimentation
of twenty years’. Two years later
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when he showed a bronze cast of this group, commissioned by the
state, the well known art critic Edmond de Goncourt concluded that
the art of sculpture had arrived at a point similar to one that he had
identified in painting, ‘Nature has succeeded man. It represents the
evolution of modern art’*. Three years later at the Universal
Exposition of 1855 it was awarded the Grand Medal of Honour
which prompted Theophile Gautier to write ‘Barye does not treat
the animal form strictly from a zoological point of view. He
agrandises, he simplifies and idealises and gives style to the forms.
He has a fierce, energetic and rude manner which makes him the
Michaelangelo of the menagerie’. Whilst the Tiger and Gavial was
the starting point for a break with tradition, with the Jaguar and
Hare, Barye really brought sculpture into the modern age.
Irrespective of its subject matter, it is a sculpture that demands to be
viewed in the round and whilst three smaller reductions exist of the
model it is only in its original scale that the strength of the forms can
be truly appreciated. It’s influence on other artists of the period is
without question, it is also of interest to note that some fifty years
later when just starting on his own sculptural journey, Henri Matisse
(1869-1954) chose from all on display at the Louvre Museum the
Jaguar and Hare as the inspiration for his first work.
* See ‘Untamed, The Art of Antoine-Louis Barye’, p.166.
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Panther of Tunis, c.1860
(Panthère de Tunis no.1)
Bronze chef-modèle, atelier Barye, cast circa 1860
Medium brown patina with dark brown undertones
Provenance: Barye Sale of 1876, no.706
Collection Barbedienne
Barbedienne Collection Sale, 1889, lot 17
Collection Jacques Zoubaloff
Vente Collection Zoubaloff, 1929, lot no.86
Monsieur Lambert, purchased at the above sale
Barye's complex working practice involved casting a chef-modèle in
bronze from each sculpture's finished plaster and wax prototype.
This chef-modèle was hand-finished to a high standard after casting
in bronze and was used as the pattern for all subsequent sand-cast
examples of the bronze edition. At the Vente Barye of 1876, the
rights of reproduction of Barye's sculptures were sold as individual
lots and included the bronze chef-modèle. The present piece was lot
702 and was purchased for the Barbedienne foundry who
immediately after the sale inscribed the lot number underneath.
The additional inscription 'no.1' refers to the model's size, which in
this case is the large version. These chef-modèles are rarely on the
market today as most already reside in museums. The great turn of
the century art collector Jacques Zoubaloff much admired Barye's
work and purchased many pieces from Barbedienne both privately
and at the Barbedienne Collection Sale in 1889 where this chefmodèle was lot 17. It was subsequently purchased for 14,600FF by a
‘Monsieur Lambert’ in the Zoubaloff Collection Sale of 1929.
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Panther of Tunis, small version, c.1857
to be made using this technique. However he realised that it was too
expensive for use in the editioning of his work and for this he relied
on sand casting which he carried out to a high standard. He also,
along the way, experimented with other casting techiques and one
that particularly interested him was electro-forming. Like
electroplating this involves the deposit of a base metal onto a
prepared surface by the use of electricity and a liquid bath.
Electroplating deposits a very thin layer onto the outside surface of
a metal object and is used for silver plating, etc. Electroforming
deposits a much thicker layer sufficient to give the finished object
rigidity and stand alone strength. It is generally deposited onto the
inside of a negative mould so that the finished thickness does not
impact on the final surface detail of the piece – ie. it works from the
top surface inwards. Despite being many times thicker than the
deposit left by electroplating, objects that are electroformed are
usually backed up with an independent support. In this case Barye
has chosen lead which can be clearly seen on the photograph of the
inside of the sculpture. This process is only suitable for use with
objects that have a visible underbase, a model of a horse for example
would not work. So why would have Barye experimented with
electroforming and what are its advantages? The principal reason is
that the negative mould can be made of a relatively inexpensive
substance such as plaster as one is not pouring moulten metal into
it. Secondly, the plaster mould can be made directly from the artist’s
original working model and the resulting electroformed ‘bronze’ is
thus a first generation cast made straight from this, as opposed to a
second generation cast in the case of a sand or wax casting. Thus the
detail of the finished work is especially crisp and much closer to the
artist’s original working model. One can clearly see in the above
photographs the wonderful surface detail of this work, which even
exceeds that of the chef-modèle for the larger version.
(Panthère de Tunis no.2)
Electroformed bronze backed up with lead, atelier Barye,
cast circa 1857
Medium brown patina with dark brown undertones.
One of the factors that sets Barye apart from other sculptors of the
nineteenth century was that he was a true ‘Renaissance man’.
He loved to experiment with both modelling techniques and
especially casting methods. We know that he much admired the lost
wax casting process as he ordered his most important commissions
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Tiger Surprising a Stag, c.1835
(Tigre surprenant un Cerf)
Dark brown patina with reddy brown highlights.
An early combat piece for Barye and the preliminary model for a
stone sculpture the sculptor made for the city of Lyon. Despite this
important connection, few casts seem to have been made during the
Martin years and Poletti and Richarme estimate less than twenty
between 1857 and Barye’s death in 1875. Rights to the posthumous
edition were purchased by Brame.
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18.
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Panther and Civet Cat, c.1850
(Panthère surprenant un Zibeth)
Dark brown patina with light brown highlights.
This energetic model dates from the late 1840’s and is less romantic
in composition than earlier works such as the Tiger Surprising a Stag
of 1835 (see cat.no.17). Barye cast examples of two slightly different
versions of this model although examples of either are rare. The
founder Peyrol purchased the chef-modèle at the Barye Vente of 1876
and subsequently also cast a larger version.
29
19.
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Panther holding a Gazelle, 1834
(Panthère tenant une Gazelle)
Plaster with applied wax working model, atelier Barye,
modelled circa 1834
P&R p.227
Provenance:
Vente Barye, 1876, lot no.474, purchased by Romain
Vente Collection Jacques Zoubaloff, 16-17 June
1927, catalogue no.199 (illustrated).
Private Collection, France
first bronze chef-modèle would be cast. Due to their obvious
fragility, very few of these plasters survived and those that did are
almost all in museum collections worldwide.
Stage one of Barye's recognised working practice began with his
modelling the subject in a soft medium such as wax. Bearing in
mind the instability of this first medium and the length of time that
Barye worked and reworked each piece before arriving at a prototype,
he would mould this wax and cast a plaster. The second and perhaps
most important stage then began with Barye working this plaster
original, pairing down the surface in some areas and adding with the
application of soft wax in other areas. It was these plaster and wax
originals that would become the finished prototype from which the
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Jaguar with Horse’s Head, 1837
An early model, dating from the late 1830’s and one that appeared
in Barye’s first sales catalogue issued by Maison Besse in 1844 where
it was titled Jaguar avec une proie. Few lifetime cast were made of
this sculpture and only four are listed in the Martin account books
for the years 1850-1857. This is a particularly early cast before Barye
had finalised the exact proportions of the base.
(Jaguar couché tenant une tête de Cheval)
31
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21.
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Turkish Horse, left leg raised, c.1840
(Cheval Turc no.2, antérieur gauche levé, terrasse carrée)
Medium brown patina with dark brown and green undertones.
Antoine-Louis Barye's "Turkish Horse" is one of the quintessential
statements of Romanticism, and a definitive image of the horse in
Western art. It is one of Barye's great masterpieces. It has origins in
the horses of classical sculpture such as the Parthenon Frieze (The
Elgin Marbles), and in great Italian renaissance equestrian pieces by
sculptors such as Cellini and Verroccio. It has profound resonances
with other great nineteenth century depictions of the horse, such as
paintings by Delacroix, Stubbs and Gericault.
The enigmatic appeal of this, probably Barye's best known sculpture,
has much to do with the animal's precise pose of arrested, reined-in
power. The viewer is unconsciously aware of an element of narrative
action implied in an otherwise seemingly 'pure' equestrian study.
Indeed, certain related works on paper by the artist e.g. one in the
Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, another in the
Fabius Collection, Paris, another formerly in the Sarlin Collection,
Paris (see fig.2) show the same horse mounted by an Arab Rider and
even attacked by a lion. Yet it is the absence of such 'explanatory'
accessories in the final bronze that also give it much of its power,
opening it up to broader psychological and symbolic interpretation,
while also leaving the viewer free to savour the sheer observational
and expressive power of the piece.
The present example is a fine quality ‘atelier’ cast finished in the
sculptor’s workshop around 1865. Barbedienne bought the rights of
reproduction of this model in 1876 and produced a large number of
posthumous castings, many of good quality, however lifetime
examples of this work are rare.
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fig 2.
22.
Turkish Horse, left leg raised c.1850
(Cheval Turc no.2, antérieur gauche levé, terasse ovale)
Bronze, atelier Barye, circa 1855
Height: 11˝ (27.9cm), Length: 111/2˝ (29.2cm).
Horswell p.38 (model with right leg raised),
The present work is a rare atelier cast made whilst Barye was
experimenting with remounting his original Cheval Turc, terrasse
carrée (see cat.no.21) which he had first modelled in 1840. For
whatever reason he had decided to make some minor changes to the
head and tail of the Stallion and also to place it on to a more
naturalistic base. The finished new model’s base was oval rather
than rectangular and higher than this intermediary version. It was
edited by Barye from 1857, after he had ended his partnership with
Martin and repurchased his existing models, up until his death in
1875. For some reason neither the left nor right leg raised, oval
based Turkish Horse was offered for sale at the Vente Barye of 1876
with rights of reproduction. This cast has a fine chiselled surface
with an unusual thin, almost translucent brown patina, reminiscent
of that found on some early stamped and numbered casts. Bearing
in mind its position in the chain of development of a new Barye
model it would certainly have been a casting in which the sculptor
himself was closely involved. To date we know of only one other
example of this model on the reduced base which is in the Fogg Art
Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Henry
Dexter Sharpe Collection, 1956.165.
34
Arab on Horseback, c.1840
(Arabe monté au Cheval)
Watercolour on paper,
Height: 8˝ (20cm), Length: 6˝ (15.5cm)
Provenance: Collection Louis Sarlin, 1918, (sale no.73)
Private Collection, London
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36
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25.
Half Blood Horse, Head Up, c.1840
(Cheval Demi-Sang, tête levée)
Bronze, atelier Barye, cold stamped ‘BARYE 16’,
cast circa 1845
(Cheval Demi-Sang, tête levée)
Bronze chef-modèle, atelier Barye, cast circa1840.
Height: 5˝ (13.9cm), Length: 7˝ (18cm)
Reddy brown patina
Provenance:Vente Barye, 1876, lot no.702 purchased by
Goupil for Barbedienne
Vente Barbedienne, 1889, lot no.41 purchased by Zoubaloff
Vente Zoubaloff, 1927 lot no.174 sold at FF9000
Collection Eduardo Guinle, Brazil
Guinle Collection Sale, Christies New York, 2003, lot 33
A fine quality cast dating from the years of Barye’s association with
Martin. This and the following bronze are classic casts from this
period, displaying the characteristic clear medium brown patina and
the cold stamped BARYE signature and number.
24.
Half Blood Horse, Head Up, c.1840
A rare foundry ‘chef-modèle’ used by successive ‘editeurs’ to make
the sand impressions into which the moulton bronze would be
poured. This work formed part of the celebrated Guinle Collection
of nearly 200 Barye bronzes, amongst which were at least a dozen
other ‘chef-modèles’. The first edition of this model dates from the
early 1840’s and it was subsequently cast by Martin with some
success. Barye produced a number of casts between 1857 and his
death in 1875. The model was cast posthumously by Barbedienne
and it is overall one of Barye’s most popular and successful smaller
horse sculptures. It is not a reduction of a larger model but a separate
smaller work, indeed the large version was only first edited by Barye
shortly before his death.
Half Blood Horse, Head Down, 1845
(Cheval Demi-Sang, tête baissée)
Bronze, atelier Barye, cold stamped ‘BARYE 9’, cast
circa 1845
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26.
Rearing Bull, 1841
(Taureau cabré)
Height: 9˝ (23cm), Length: 11˝ (28cm).
Brown patina with reddy highlights
One of Barye’s most spirited single animals, this Rearing Bull was
also modelled by Barye attacked by a Tiger. Both groups were
successful during the sculptor’s life with around twenty examples of
each cast in bronze. Both models were also cast with great success by
Barbedienne who had bought the rights in 1876. The ‘chef-modèle’
of the Rearing Bull is today in the Louvre Museum, a gift of Jacques
Zoubaloff in 1914. The present example is an outstanding, fine
quality lifetime example produced in Barye’s atelier circa 1860. It has
a crisp, detailed surface and a wonderful brown patina with tones of
red showing through the lighter brown.
27.
Study of a Bull, c.1840
(Étude d’un Taureau)
Charcoal and watercolour on paper
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28.
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Seated Bear, 1831
(Ours assis, esquisse)
Bronze, H.Gonon Fondeur, dated 1833
Reddy brown patina with dark brown undertones
P&R p.403
Vente Schoeller, 1956, lot no72, illustrated, FF280,000
This exceptional bronze is a very rare, lost wax cast, inscribed
‘FONDU PAR HONORE GONON ET SES DEUX FILS – 1833’.
We know that Barye’s preferred choice of casting method was the
lost wax process as all his major commissions were cast this way.
Most of these were carried out by Gonon who unusually always
marked his castings with this rather personal foundry inscription.
One feels that perhaps he was working at the outset of
experimentation into lost wax casting, and along with his two sons
he was pushing the boundaries of available knowledge to produce a
finished bronze of hitherto unexpected quality. He certainly
achieved that with this present example, which is surely one of the
finest castings of the nineteenth century and akin to works produced
seventy years later in the famed ‘lost wax’ foundry of A.A.Hebrard.
It is with out doubt also a direct casting, ie made straight from the
sculptor’s working model without any intermediary mould which
might have reduced the retention of detail. One can see Barye’s
fingerprints as he worked the wax surface and also the almost
impasto surface detail he has used to give the impression of the
bear’s shaggy coat. It is a pity that the lost wax casting process was
felt too expensive for the editioning of bronzes at this time as it is
only with these rare works that we are able to see the extent to which
Barye chose to add surface detail to his finished models.
29.
Bear in Combattant, c.1835
(Ours combat7tant)
Pencil drawing.
Provenance: Madame Vildieu-Barye, fille de A.L.Barye;
Fernand Fabius, Paris
This drawing is a working sketch for Barye’s famous sculpture ‘Taureau
terrassé par un Ours’ modelled in the late 1830’s around the same time
that he was working on the hunt groups for the Duc d’Orleans.
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Rhino & Tiger, c.1845
(Rhinocéros attaquant un tigre)
Terracotta, unique.
P&R p.473 (CS248)
Provenance:
Gift by Barye to the painter Paul Huet
Collection Perret-Carnot, London, 1969, no.131
A rare terracotta working model of a subject that Barye never
finalized as no other plasters or bronzes are known. Similar to his
Elephant Crushing a Tiger of circa 1845 this terracotta is
considerably smaller in size and is probably Barye’s first sketch
model from which he would have gone on to model a finished work.
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Water Buffalo, c.1870
Another later model only listed for the first time in Barye’s sale
catalogue of 1874, the year before his death. Poletti and Richarme
estimate that there were probably less than ten lifetime casts made
of his charming model, and only one was included in the studio
inventory of 1875 and again listed in the Vente Barye catalogue of
1876. Certainly almost no lifetime casts have appeared on the
market in the last twenty five years and the edition as we know it
today is comprised of castings from the Barbedienne foundry. The
present example is a rare ‘gold seal’ cast from circa 1877 shortly
after Barbedienne had purchased the chef-modèle and the rights of
reproduction. It is a fine quality cast and has been patinated with
Barye’s signature ‘feuilles d’automne’ blend of mid browns and
greens. For an animal that Barye would have seen only occasionally
he has, as is typical in all his work, captured it’s character perfectly,
it’s bovine calm is subtly portrayed and it’s stretching neck gives
movement to the model despite it’s static pose.
(Buffle d’eau)
Bronze, Barbedienne Foundry, cast circa 1877 with the inset
gold ‘FB’ seal.
Height: 6˝ (15.5cm), Length: 9˝ (23cm),
Orangey brown and green patina.
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Ape and Gnu, c.1840
(Singe monté sur un Gnou)
Height: 9˝ (22cm), Length: 101/2˝ (27cm)
Reddy brown patina with dark brown highlights.
First edited by Barye around 1840 this model is atypical of his work.
The inspiration for this whimsical subject is derived from an
illustration by the famous English painter Thomas Landseer (17951880) that was first published in 1832 in John Henry Barrow’s book
‘Characteristic Sketches of Animals, Principally in the Zoological
Gardens, Regents Park’. Barye was well read on all zoological topics,
had a very extensive library of his own and was a frequent visitor to
the many libraries of Paris. Further inspiration came from the arrival
in 1836 at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris of a Sumatran Orangatan.
Despite dying the following year, his good humour immediately
endeared him to all who saw him and he was affectionally known as
‘Jack’. The present example is a fine quality cast, produced around
the end of Barye’s life, either in his own atelier or possibly slightly
later by Brame who bought the rights to this model.
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Gnu, c.1840
(Gnou)
black undertones
Following the success of the Ape and Gnu, Barye reworked the Gnu
and included it as a stand alone model in his final sales catalogue of
1874. Very few casts would have been made by Barye and the
posthumous Brame edition is also very small.
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Cochin Elephant, c.1870
Modelled late on in Barye’s life this work first appeared in his last
sales catalogue of 1874. Few lifetime casts exist and it is interesting to
compare the quality of the two examples illustrated. The patina of
the earlier example is multicoloured which in turn helps one to see
the form of the sculpture and the detail of the casting. The detail of
the slightly later example is marginally weaker and also the more
uniform patina makes it harder to pick it out. However the quality
of the detail is not the sole judge of a good casting and in Barye’s
work excessive detail can be an indication of a casting produced
nearer the turn of the century.
(Éléphant de Cochinchine)
black undertones
35.
Cochin Elephant, c.1870
(Éléphant de Cochinchine)
Green and brown patina
46
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Elephant in Landscape, c.1835
(Éléphant en paysage)
Pencil on paper
Inscribed ‘Langles tour 2eme.’
Height: 5˝ (13cm), Length: 81/2˝ (21.5cm)
37.
Asian Elephant, c.1850
(Éléphant d’Asie)
Reddy brown patina with dark brown undertones
38.
Asian Elephant, c.1850
(Éléphant d’Asie)
Bronze, Brame Fondeur, cast circa 1890
Medium brown patina
Modelled around 1850 this sculpture was immediately popular and
a number of fine quality lifetime examples exist such as cat. no.37. If
we compare this with cat. no.38 we can see a marked difference in
quality between the lifetime example and the Brame cast. The former
boasts a fine multicoloured patina, a worked surface with texture and
detail and a more robust form. The latter has a dull flat brown patina
and most importantly, coarsely added detail unsympathetic to
Barye’s original modelling, in the form of small incisions to the body
and over deep lines running down the trunk of the animal. It is this
‘added detail’ that can be confusing to the new collector as to them
this may make the cast seem one of good quality when in fact it is a
later cast overworked to suit the taste of the time.
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40.
Elephant of Senegal bookends, c.1900
Elephant of Senegal, c.1870
(Éléphant du Sénégal)
Bronze, Barbedienne Foundry, cast circa 1877
with the inset gold ‘FB’ seal.
Green and black patina.
(Paire d’Éléphants du Sénégal, serre livres)
Bronze, ‘Cast By Griffoul, Newark, NJ’, c.1900
Height: 4 3/4˝ (12.1cm), Length: 7 3/4˝ (19.7cm)
Green patina with black undertones
An unusual adaption of one of Barye’s most popular models carried
out by the New York based foundry Griffoul at the end of the
nineteenth century. Quite whether this was done with permission
from the heirs of the sculptor or the owner of the editing rights –
Barbedienne we do not know, however the presence of a foundry
mark would imply that some form of agreement was reached.
Modelled late in the sculptor’s life, few casts exist from Barye’s
atelier. However under the editioning of Barbedienne this work was
one of the most commercially successful of all Barye’s works. Such
was its success that in 1887 Barbedienne produced both a reduction,
height 7cm and also an enlargement at 26cm. The present example
is a fine Barbedienne cast with the inset gold FB seal, which was
affixed to examples from a special high quality edition that the
foundry produced shortly after purchasing the rights of
reproduction at the Vente Barye of 1876.
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Elephant of Senegal, large version c.1870
(Éléphant du Sénégal)
Bronze, F.Barbedienne Fondeur, (France), cast circa 1890
Pale green and brown patina with black undertones.
This enlargement was first produced by the Barbedienne Foundry
in 1887 after the commercial success of the original model but few
examples were made in comparison with the two smaller versions.
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Walking Pheasant, head right, c.1840
(Faisan, tête tournée à droite)
Height: 41/2˝ (12cm), Length:81/2˝(21cm)
Stamped ‘BARYE’ and numbered ‘12’
Reddy brown, green and black patina
43.
Walking Pheasant, head right, c.1840
(Faisan, tête tournée à droite)
Bronze, inscribed ‘F.Barbedienne Fondeur,
Paris’ cast circa 1900
Orangey brown, green and black patina.
A comparison of the above two works shows that the best
posthumous castings are often every bit as good as lifetime examples.
The first is a typical fine quality stamped and numbered cast
produced during the years of Barye’s association with Martin
(1845-1857) with good crisp detail and a fine patina. The second is a
posthumous Barbedienne cast from the early twentieth century
which has comparable good detail and patina. With all bronzes one has
to look carefully at each individual cast and assess its merits as one can
never guarantee the quality of a bronze from a recorded casting date.
44.
Parrot with head right, c. 1840
(Perruche, tête tournée vers la gauche)
Bronze, atelier Barye, cast circa 1845.
Stamped ‘BARYE’ and numbered ‘18’
Medium brown patina
45.
Parrot with head left, c. 1840
(Perruche tête tournée vers la gauche)
Height: 8˝ (20cm), Length: 5˝ (12.7cm)
Reddy brown, green and black patina
With these two bronzes we have a comparison between a cast from
the Martin years and another from the best period of Barye’s
production when he had regained control of his models, was
financially secure and could lavish the time and attention he wished
on each bronze. It is from this period that we see the most beautiful
patinas and the present cast is no exception. This model was also
successfully used by Barye on a candelabra.
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Virginia Stag, c.1875
(Cerf de Virginie s’élançant)
Bronze, Brame Foundry, cast circa 1880
Posthumous enlargement.
‘Feuilles d’automne’ patina of orangey brown with
green and black undertones.
Pivar p.204, P&R p.315-6
The present example is a rare enlargement made by Brame after he
had bought the original model at the Vente Barye of 1876. It appears
Barye never edited this work during his lifetime and Brame made
few casts, as a result examples are scarce on the market today. This
enlargement is again a wonderful example of a bronze cast in the
spirit of Barye. The quality and finish of the cast are excellent and
the patina is as close to the master’s famed feuilles d’automne patina
as one could hope to find in a posthumous casting. The added scale
also brings the model to life in a way sometimes lacking in Barye’s
smaller works.
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47.
Axis Stag, c.1837
(Axis)
Bronze, atelier Barye/Martin, cold stamped ‘BARYE
8’ twice, cast circa 1845
Medium brown patina with dark brown highlights
and green undertones.
This stamped and numbered bronze is a cast of unusual
quality, reminiscent of the Gonon lost wax casting of the
Seated Bear (see cat. no.28). When one compares it to
other atelier castings of the same model one immediately
notices the texture of this cast. It differs also from the
others in that this Stag has antlers and the foliage under the
belly of the animal is more defined. It was probably cast
direct from the sculptors working model rather than from
a subsequent bronze chef-modèle.
48.
Axis Deer, 1850
(Cerf Axis)
Bronze chef-modéle, atelier Barye, cast circa 1857
Medium brown patina.
Barye's complex working practice involved casting a chef-modèle in
bronze from each sculpture's finished plaster and wax prototype.
This bronze chef-modèle was hand-finished to a high standard after
casting and was used as the pattern for all subsequent sand-cast
examples for the bronze edition. At the Vente Barye of 1876, the
rights of reproduction of Barye's sculptures were sold as individual
lots and included its bronze chef-modèle and very often
the sculptor’s original working model in plaster and wax. These
chef-modèles are rarely on the market today as most already reside in
museums collections.
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Tortoise, c.1845
(Tortue)
Bronze, F.Barbedienne Fondeur, cast circa 1880
50.
Tortoise on a Base, 1830
(Tortue, sur plinthe carrée)
Bronze, F.Barbedienne Fondeur, cast circa 1880
Medium brown patina with dark brown
Poletti and Richarme state that Barye was probably inspired to model
this Tortoise by the arrival of a live specimen at the Natural History
Museum in Paris in 1839 which stayed for three months. It is
certainly one of his most charming small models and was cast in a
variety of versions both during Barye’s life and posthumously by
Barbedienne. The underbase of the larger Tortoise shows the lot
number from the Vente Barye under which this model was sold. This
was engraved after the sale by Barbedienne on to the chef-modèles
that he bought at the sale, presumably to keep track of what was
what. It is unusual however to see this cast through on a subsequent
editioned casting as it was normally removed from the sand mould.
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Ethiopian Gazelle, 1834
(Gazelle d’Éthiopie)
Bronze, atelier Barye/Martin, cold stamped ‘BARYE 7’,
dated ‘1837’
Height: 3˝ (8.5cm), Length: 4˝ (11cm)
Medium brown patina with dark brown
A classic fine quality stamped and numbered cast from the years of
the Barye Martin association. Barye modelled few small antelope on
their own and this is one of the most successful.
52.
Reclining Doe, 1840
(Biche couchée)
Bronze, atelier Barye, cast c.1860
Reddy brown dark brown and green patina
Horswell p.77(as part of group), Pivar p.190, P&R p.304
This charming model originally formed part of Barye’s group ‘Family
of Deer’ which depicts a Stag, this Doe and a reclining Fawn. As is
often the case, Barye took elements of a larger group and edited
them on their own. In each case these ‘fragments’ seem to work
equally well individually. The present example is a fine atelier casting
from the 1860’s and has a wonderful multicoloured patina.
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53.
Stag in landscape c.1850
(Cerf en paysage)
Drawing, pencil on paper.
This sketch is possibly a working drawing for Barye’s ‘Stag with Left
Leg Raised’ of 1838 with which he had great success as a bronze.
54.
Outline Stag, c.1840
(Cerf)
Drawing, pencil on paper
Height: 31/2˝ (8cm), Length: 4 3/4˝ (12cm)
This working drawing possibly relates to Barye’s Walking Stag
which he first modelled in 1837 and subsequently adapted shortly
afterwards.
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55.
Food Warmer, c.1880
(Réchaud de table)
Bronze, A.Delafontaine, cast circa 1880
Height: 6˝ (15cm) Length: 19˝ (48cm)
Medium Brown patina with golden brown
highlights and black undertones.
Provenance:
Vente Collection Mons. X., Paris 1938
Elie Fabius, 3 Rue de Provence, Paris, 1939
Collection Christian Ledoux-Lebard, France.
Vente Ledoux-Lebard, Sotheby’s London, 1995, lot no.10.
This unique work combines much of Barye’s working experience
from his early years with the famous goldsmith Jacques-Henri
Fauconnier together with his expertise as a sculptor in his own
right. Despite originally an earlier date for the fabrication of this
piece, Poletti and Richarme state that the Réchaud de Table was
realised after the death of Barye by the editeur A.Delafontaine and
the presence of the monogrammed ‘JF’ on the shield around the
base implies that it was a private commission. The animal
components are provided principally by Barye – the two dogs and
the two rabbits, whilst the turtles and the seated hound are by
Alfred Jacquemart (1824-1896). The Pointer and Spaniel were
edited both separately and as a group by Barye. Elie Fabius, founder
of the famous Paris gallery, suggested the réchaud might have been
made as a gift for Fauconnier – the initials would certainly fit – but
bearing in mind Jacquemart’s birth date, the likelihood is that the
conception was certainly after 1850. Whatever its date it is an
exceptional work that combines the realism of nineteenth century
sculpture with the ornamentation of the goldsmith and is a unique
work in Barye’s oeuvre.
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56.
Spaniel, c.1840
(Épagneul no.1, première version)
Bronze, atelier Barye/Martin, cast circa 1857
Stamped ‘BARYE 35’
Orangey- brown patina with dark brown undertones.
57.
Spaniel, c.1840
(Épagneul no.1, première version)
Rich reddy brown patina with dark brown and
green undertones.
Again we have here the comparison between a stamped and
numbered cast from around 1850 and an atelier proof from ten
years later. In this incidence the quality of both the detail in the
casting and also the subsequent patina is better on the atelier cast.
This Spaniel was also cast as part of a group with a Pointer and was
used on the Réchaud de Table (see cat. no.56).
58.
Spaniel, c.1850
(Épagneul no.1, seconde version)
This second version of the Spaniel was modelled ten to fifteen years
after the first and examples are rare. The present example is a fine
quality atelier casting.
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59.
Sleeping Rabbit, c.1840
(Lapin, oreilles couchées)
Height: 11/2˝ (3cm), Length: 3˝ (7.5cm)
Mid-brown patina with dark brown undertones
60.
Crouching Rabbit, c.1840
(Lapin, oreilles couchées)
Bronze, inscribed ‘F.Barbedienne Fondeur’, cast circa 1876
Height: 2˝ (5cm), Length: 3˝ (7.5m)
Orangey brown and green patina with black undertones
61.
Seated Hare, c.1870
(Lièvre assis)
Bronze, inscribed ‘F.Barbedienne M,Monbray La Mutualite
Commerciale 15 8bre 1889’
Black, green and red patina.
Barye modelled four different rabbits and two hares and he brought
to all, despite their small size, the same high quality of modelling
found in his larger works. In each he captures the attitude and stance
with great success and with the rabbits sometimes combines them
into groups. For their small size they are some of his most appealing
works and were edited both throughout his life and posthumously in
some number.
63
62.
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Tazza with Vines, Cat Mask
and Owls,1845
(Coupe ornée d’Arabesques et de Feuilles de Vigne ou
Coupe à Bords renversés)
Bronze, stamped ‘BARYE 37’, cast in 1850
Gold and black patina.
P&R p.366-367
This tazza is one of a number of ornamental works modelled and
subsequently edited by Barye. During his lifetime these works
along with candelabra and other orferier works were extremely
popular and some were cast in quite large editions. This good
quality example is numbered 37 so from this we know that at least
this number were cast in the years of the Barye Martin association
alone. Part of their appeal was undoubtedly the high level of
modelling Barye incorporated into each piece, for example the
stem and base include cat’s masks and owls whilst the top bears an
intricate foliage design.
64
63.
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64.
Chimera Incense Burner, 1850
Leda and the Swan seal, c.1830
(Léda et le Cygne)
Silver, atelier Barye,
Provenance:
(Brûle-Parfum orné de Chimères)
Bronze, atelier Barye, stamped with number ‘8’,
cast circa 1845
Height: 3˝ (7cm), Length: 21/2˝ (6.5cm)
Brown patina with gold on chimeras.
Pivar p.268, P&R p.369-370
Another inventive and intricate decorative object, this one with the
added gilding to the chimeras. Barye also modelled a chimera as an
independent sculpture, see Poletti and Richarme page 464.
Despite dating from the early 1830’s whilst Barye was working with
Fauconnier, this work does not appear in any sales catalogue and was
not listed in the Vente Barye of 1876. An example is in the Louvre
Museum, Paris (donation J-M Zoubaloff, 1919) and this, along with
the other two known, are all cast in solid silver.
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The Cabinet Bronzes of Antoine-Louis Barye
The exact nature of the controversy created by Barye’s work remains
a little obscure. However, the main objections from the
establishment seem to have rested on two points – that the
depiction of animals, independently of any mythological or
allegorical pretext, was intrinsically inferior to grand figurative
statuary, and secondly that certain of Barye’s works were too small
and ‘decorative’ to be called sculpture – they were merely
commercial ornaments.
‘The master of masters who clung to nature with all the force and tenacity
of a god and dominated everything. He was beyond all and outside of all
art influences, save nature and the antique. He was one of, if not the
most isolated artists that ever lived. Emphatically original, and the first
in the world of that kind of originality, he was himself and himself
alone… He is our great glory and we shall have to depend on him in
coming generations.’ - Auguste Rodin
Antoine-Louis Barye (1796-1875) is widely considered the most
important nineteenth century French sculptor prior to Rodin. The
companion of Delacroix, Millet, Rousseau and Daumier, he was an
artist of enormous complexity, who embodied many overlapping
tendencies of his age – Romantic, Neo-Classical, Realist and
Orientalist. As suggested in Rodin’s fulsome tribute, Barye showed
the way for other sculptors both to find new, dynamic interpretations
of traditional themes, as in the celebrated Theseus and the Minotaur
see cat. no. 1, and to break out into fresh subject matter (as in his
purely ‘animalier’ pieces). Just as importantly, he was an independent
spirit whose example demonstrated that new strategies could be
invented for artists to conduct their careers. And in this connection
it is his smaller, cabinet works which are perhaps most significant.
The depiction of animals, directly and without obvious
anthropomorphism or allegorical intent, was indeed one of Barye’s
goals. Alongside Delacroix, he studied live animals, and dissected
dead ones, making scientifically rigorous drawings and careful
measurements, to gain total familiarity with animal structure and
movements. His ‘bibles’ were the anatomical treaties by Cuvier,
Lamarck and Buffon. In his final sculptures he encapsulated all his
factual knowledge of his subject, and was then able to expressively
‘distort’ the facts for the sake of re-animating his creatures with
drama and vigour.
Throughout his career, from the larger reputation forming works
like the Tiger and Gavial (1831) see cat. no. 12 to the later and
smaller Tiger and Crocodile, Barye was drawn to scenes of combat
which clearly struck a chord both with his own psyche and with the
turbulent spirit of his age. Surprisingly it is often the smaller
combat pieces, which seem to condense this near-sublime power
and vitality most strongly, bringing out Barye’s sculptural abilities,
and achieving an expressiveness which belies their modest scale.
The avenues open to nineteenth century sculptors to pursue their
vocation were strictly limited. They normally involved graduation
from the Ecole des Beaux Arts, attempts at a ‘Prix de Rome’
scholarship, then submission to the annual ‘Salon’, leading to
commissions or purchases by the State. State commissions for public
monuments were especially numerous in the highly politicized
period of the July monarchy (1830-1848), the Second Republic, and
the Second Empire of Napoleon III (1851-1870). There were also
independent commissions by wealthy patrons, a certain number
from the established Church, and perhaps smaller requests by
private families for tombs or cemetery memorials.
That animal sculptures were potentially as ‘elevated’ in their power
and ambition as – indeed more so than – heroic allegories, was
eventually bound to gain popular recognition. The whole trend of
Romanticism (and embryonic Modernism) was predisposed toward
it. Thus one of Barye’s most perceptive critics, Arsène Alexandre,
was to sum up soon after the sculptor’s death:
To some extent Barye did comply with this conventional pattern,
gaining Salon success in the early 1830’s with pieces purchased for
the Luxembourg Palace. Works by him were also eventually to
decorate the new Louvre facades instigated by Napoleon III.
‘How is one to explain the disdain in which he was held by academic
coteries? The persistence with which he was called an ‘animalier’?
However, by the late 1830’s Barye was in opposition to the official
administrators of the Salon. His works had been rejected by the jury,
and he had signed (along with Daumier, Courbet, Rousseau and
others) a petition against antiquated Salon attitudes. There was even
the suggestion that a major public commission for a giant eagle to
crown the Arc de Triomphe, which was later withdrawn from him,
was a deliberate sabotage by his adversaries to prevent him having
time to create new Salon entries. For several years, in protest, Barye
refused to submit to the Salon.
‘Animalier’? But when there is this evocative faculty which in these tame
or ferocious models gives us such intense philosophic and aesthetic joys…
then the name ‘animalier’ is hardly an insult. This faculty of evocativeness
alone makes a master. His animals are admiringly true because nature has
been studied as closely as possible. They will be eternally moving because
their maker has made the effort to go beyond nature.
With Barye we arrive at the definition of the artist of genius: An inventor
of truths.’
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Barye’s watercolours and pastels have the delicacy and freshness of
his friend Delacroix’s drawings and oil sketches, so Barye’s cabinet
pieces are best contemplated as individual works. In many cases it is
only then that the piece can be viewed fully ‘in the round’ and the
relationships of its forms can be fully appreciated. His dogs, and
even his rabbits which once chased each other in a fable-like formal
‘dance’ around a table decoration, are each unique encapsulations of
‘animal’ vitality. The extent to which these pieces are realized ‘in the
round’ sculpturally, is indicated by the difficulties posed in
photographing them – no single pose does justice to their richness.
The prejudice which perhaps proved more entrenched was that
against the smallness of scale and the decorative nature of much of
Barye’s output. Yet again it is important to appreciate on its own
terms the virtue of Barye’s intimately-scaled ornamental works.
While quite capable of rising to monumental occasions, Barye had
been the son of a jeweller and had been apprenticed early to
Fourrier, a maker of military regalia, for whom he learned to engrave
and chase metal. Later, after studying under the sculptor Bosio and
the painter Gros, he returned to a jeweller, Fauconnier, where he cut
metal die stamps for repousse work, as well as creating his own
decorative plaques of animals. Almost more significant may have
been Barye’s two year period as a conscript in the army at the age of
16, when he was employed creating relief maps – a discipline in the
perceiving and reproducing of subtly inflected forms and contours,
precisely as he would do in his greatest animal sculptures.
Once again, it is Arsène Alexandre who applauds Barye, devoting a
chapter of his 1889 study of the sculptor to a defence of the small
works and an exposition of their undiminished artistic ambition.
‘Had he produced in all his life nothing but this numerous army of tiny
beasts, he would deserve nevertheless to be called a great artist, equal to the
greatest. Had he only produced twenty, or a dozen such, they would still
have won him a great reputation… In a single claw of a lion by Barye, there
is more of the sense of true nobility than in all the conventional Apollos; in
the eye of one of his small jaguars, more redoubtable wrath than in all the
Jupiters which glory the academic artist. Today they are plunged in the most
profound obscurity. And only now, by contrast, does Barye’s name begin to
live – but it will live forever’.
From the mid 1830’s Barye executed specifically decorative works –
table decorations, chandeliers, candelabras, mantle pieces, festooned
with animals, birds and figures – for the Duc d’Orleans and his
brother the Duc du Montpensier. It was certain of these works which
were first rejected by the Salon as not genuinely ‘sculptural’ but
merely ornamental. In addition, the charge of trivial
‘commercialisation’ may have been attracted by the fact that Barye
had left Fauconnier and was making his moderately sized and priced
pieces directly available to private buyers among the burgeoning
bourgeois classes. Individual animals from the commissioned
schemes were also offered. By 1839 he had his own atelier for the
finishing of bronzes, and by 1847 he was issuing sculpture catalogues
of virtually his total output. This was a highly innovative move for an
individual sculptor, anticipating the catalogues of decorative items
issued by foundries like Durenne and Barbedienne (in which
sculptors names were rarely given), and totally side-stepping the
traditional structures for marketing art.
Barye’s detractors were partly hidebound by snobbery – the inability
to recognise that the future of fine art lay very much with the ‘free
market’ and the bourgeoisie. But more importantly they failed to
perceive that he was as sculpturally strong and subtle in the small
works as in the major ones. His sensibility to form, relief, and
texture; his knowledge of structure and anatomy; his brilliance with
his materials – all are captured in these intimate ‘cabinet’ bronzes.
Time after time one sees a transformation when pieces are ‘removed’
from the schematic context of a candelabrum or ‘réchaud de table’
see cat. no. 55 in which their main effect may have been as a striking
silhouette, a piquant detail or a repeated or symmetrically mirrored
decorative motif. Once a piece such as the Spaniel is isolated, its
degree of subtlety and detail is immediately perceived. Rather as
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alexandre, Arsene, Les Artistes Célèbres, Antoine-Louis Barye,
Paris, 1889.
Baillio, Joseph, The Wild Kingdom of Antoine-Louis Barye,
Wildenstein & Co., Inc., New York, 1994.
Saunier, Charles & Lane, John, Masters of Modern Art, Louis
Barye, The Bodley Head Ltd., UK, 1926.
Mannoni, Édith, Barye, Les editions de l’amateur, France, 1996.
Horswell, Jane, Bronze sculpture of ‘Les Animaliers’ reference and
price guide. The Antiques Collectors’ Club Ltd., UK, 1971.
Lemaistre, Isabelle Leroy-Jay, La Griffe et La Dent, Antoine LouisBarye Sculpteur Animalier, Éditions de la Réunion des Musées
Nationaux, Paris, 1996.
Benge, Glenn, Barye, An Exhibition of Sculpture. The Sladmore
Gallery, London, 1972
Poletti, Michel & Richarme, Alain, Barye Catalogue Raisonné des
Sculptures, Gallimard, France, 2000.
Mackay, James, The Animaliers, The Animal Sculptors of the 19th
& 20th Centuries Ward Lock Limited, London, 1973.
Poletti, Michel, Monsieur Barye, Acatos S.A., Paris, 2002.
Pivar, Stuart, The Barye Bronzes, A Catalogue Raisonee, The
Antique Collectors’ Club Ltd., England, 1974.
Shay, Cameron, Hart, Carrie & Clifford, Katie, Antoine-Louis Barye
and the American Collector, an Exhibition of Sculpture, James
Graham & Sons, USA, 2003.
Wasserman, L., Jeanne Metamorphoses in Nineteenth-century
Sculpture, Distributed by Harvard University Press for the Fogg Art
Museum, USA, 1975.
Johnston, William R. and Kelly, Simon, Untamed, The Art of
Antoine-Louis Barye, Exhibition catalogue for Walters Art Museum,
Feb 2007, Prestel Publishing, USA, 2006.
Fusco, Peter & Janson, H., W., The Romantics to Rodin, French
Nineteenth-century sculpture, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
in association with George Braziller Inc., USA, 1980.
Wasserman, Jeanne L., Barye, Sculpture by Antoine Louis-Barye in
the Collection of the Fogg Art Museum, The Publications
Department Fogg Art Museum, USA, 1982.
Kashey, Elisabeth & Kashey, Robert, Nineteenth Century French
and Western European Sculpture in Bronze and Other Media,
USA, 1985.
Robinson, Lilien F., & Nygren, Edward J., Antoine Louis-Barye, The
Corcoran Collection, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington
DC, USA, 1988.
De Kay, Charles, Life and works of Barye the Sculptor, The Devine
Press, USA, 1889.
Horswell, Edward & Hazandras, Julia, Myth Monument and
Menagerie, The Sculpture of Antoine-Louis Barye, The Sladmore
Gallery, London, 1990.
Horswell, Edward, A Bronze Menagerie – The Cabinet Bronzes of
Antoine-Louis Barye, The Sladmore Gallery, London, 1994.
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GLOSSARY
Atelier Barye: Used to describe a fine quality lifetime cast which was
finished off in the sculptors own atelier/workshop. Barye rarely
actually poured metal, this he contracted out to various small
foundries but the rest of the process – assembling, chasing and
patinating he carried out himself.
Barbedienne: The most important art bronze founder of the
nineteenth century who had over 100 people working for him in a
variety of workshops spread around Paris. He was the main
purchaser of models with rights of reproduction at the Vente Barye
of 1876, with a final total of around 150 separate sculptures.
Brame: A well known art dealer of the time, Hector Brame
purchased 78 models with rights of reproduction at the Vente Barye
of 1876, making him the second most important posthumous
editeur of Barye’s sculptures. Shortly after purchasing the rights he
set up a workshop under the direction of Henri Coupens, the chef
d’atelier of Barye’s workshop. Like Barye, the actual casting was
contracted out but the final finishing and patination was carried out
to a very high standard.
Chasing: An important step in the finishing of a cast bronze carried
out by the ‘ciseleur’ which involves removing any imperfections in
the casting such as mould lines, short runs etc. In the process the
detail often had to be modelled back into the surface by hand, a
process requiring both technical skill and artistry.
Chef-modèle: Barye’s complex working practice involved casting a
chef-modèle in bronze from each sculpture's finished plaster and wax
prototype. This chef-modèle was hand-finished to a high standard
after casting in bronze and was used as the pattern for all subsequent
sand-cast examples of the bronze edition. At the Vente Barye of
1876, the rights of reproduction of Barye's sculptures were sold as
individual lots and generally included the bronze chef- modèle.
Working model: Stage one of Barye's recognised working practice
began with his modelling the subject in a soft medium such as wax.
Bearing in mind the instability of this first medium and the length
of time that Barye worked and reworked each piece before arriving
at a prototype, he would mould this wax and cast a plaster. The
second and perhaps most important stage then began with Barye
working this plaster original, pairing down the surface in some areas
and adding with the application of soft wax in other areas. It was
these plaster and wax originals that would become the finished
prototype from which the first bronze chef-modèle would be cast.
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Detail: Roger and Angelique, 1840
See cat. no. 2.
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This exhibition is dedicated to the memory of
Francois Fabius and Graham Franses
both ardent admirers of Barye’s work.
Design:
Nona Horswell
Photography:
Prudence Cuming, London
P.J.Gates, London
Richard Valencia, London
Sonia Harman, London
Printing:
Butler and Tanner, Frome
72
Barye cover X2
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Page 1
L’Atelier
de Barye
THE SLADMORE GALLERY 2007
SLADMORE
A GROUP OF RARE
SCULPTURES FROM
THE
ARTIST’S ATELIER
SPINE WIDTH = 6mm
VERSION 1

L`Atelier de Barye

Transcription

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