Parisian Antoine-Louis Barye was the greatest animalier of his time—that is, an artist who sculpts realistic animals. He was born in 1796 and got his start as an apprentice under Napoleon’s goldsmith. In 1816, he was admitted to the Ecole des Beaux Arts where he pursued sculpture—initially honing his talent with medallions and bas relief works. Barye enjoyed spending time sketching animals of the Royal Menagerie in Paris’s Jardin des Plantes—and his sketches have been favorably compared to Delacroix’s. From these sketches, the artist would craft small clay models which he would cast in bronze. Both his sketches and his cast bronzes succeeded in capturing the wild, naturalistic personalities of their subjects. Barye also produced monumental works in addition to the smaller ones. The artist died in 1875 and is buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery.
This impressive—and fairly big—LEO is based upon Barye's 1840 original, known as the Walking Lion. This piece is cast in a plaster-composite and was then electroplated with a bronze skin (circa 1910's). The bronze exterior was then patinated like any bronze sculpture. Such bronze-clad items might have been considered a "poor man's bronze" when they were crafted. However, the excellence of the modeling elevates the work and is thanks to the many Italian sculptors who worked for such foundries in the Early Twentieth Century. This Walking Lion would be a real "statement piece" in any home or office he inhabited. Click on the photo above to learn more about him.
More handsome LEOs tomorrow and in the days to come.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.