ANTOINE-LOUIS BARYE
French, 1795-1875

"Tigre Qui Marche"

Patinated bronze | Signed in base "BARYE", incised "F. BARBEDIENNE FONDEUR, FRANCE" | conceived 1841, cast circa 1880-1900

Item # 110UGP10Q 

Barye's ability to merge our romantic idealization of nature with a colder reality of nature's predator is beautifully represented in this striding cat. Originally conceived in 1841, Tigre Qui Marche (Walking Tiger) is a picture of poise and intensity as this powerful beast moves nimbly across a dried cracked desert soil. Barye's careful study of the animal's anatomy, which include as preparatory work studies of the face as well as drawings of a flayed tiger's shoulder and foreleg, culminated in this handsomely detailed model (Benge, fig. 155, fig. 158).

The present example was cast by the foundry of Ferdinand Barbedienne posthumously. They started producing casts of this work in 1877 after acquiring the molds from the Barye estate in 1875 and the firm continued to cast it even after merging with Leblanc well into the 20th century. Signed in the naturalistic rectangular base "F. Barbedienne Fondeur, France", this cast was executed circa 1880-1900. It is finished in a wonderful complex overall green patina with hints of black and a warm orange-bronze hue in relief. The bronze is raised over an early and likely original marble base.

Artist Listings & Bibliography:


Measurements: 5 7/16" H x 2 5/8" D x 10 1/16" W [bronze]; 6 1/8" H x 3" D x 10 3/8" W [total dimensions with base]

Condition Report: Chip loss to one corner of the marble. Patina with light wear to handling areas, though overall remaining in quite excellent condition. The extent of the original black patina is unknown - whether it is lightly worn away from handling to reveal more verde surface below or whether the original intent of the foundry was a relieved black. Nonetheless, the surface is positively gorgeous, has been carefully cleaned in-house and is sealed under conservator wax.


About silla | antiques & art
Established in 2009, our 9000 square foot brick-and-mortar gallery is home to a carefully curated and catalogued inventory of furniture, decorative arts, paintings, sculpture and estate jewelry. Our company has long specialized in sculpture circa 1860 through 1930 and as such the gallery always has a very large collection of exceptional European and American sculpture available on display.

The gallery is located at 117 W Burd Street in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania and is open by appointment only. We welcome your visit and would love to meet with you. For clients located outside of the area, we are always available to discuss items by video conferencing or by phone.

SHIPPING
We take shipping very seriously and maintain a fully equipped in-house packing facility to professionally package these important and delicate pieces. All packaging is handled by our staff and will generally consist of:

All shipments are guaranteed to arrive safely. We fully insure all shipments and in the event of damage we will handle all of the details around the claims process. You are only required to send along photos, to hold onto the damaged item and all packing materials until the claims process is resolved and we also reserve the right to require the damaged item to be shipped back to us at our expense (a prepaid label will be issued) to qualify for a refund.