Crouching Rabbit
model c. 1820s
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
overall: 5.4 × 4.8 × 8.9 cm (2 1/8 × 1 7/8 × 3 1/2 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
Accession Number
1999.79.1
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the National Gallery of Art's collection, *Crouching Rabbit* a charming bronze sculpture modeled around the 1820s by Antoine-Louisarye, the pioneering French artist of the animalier style. Measuring just 5.4 × 4.8 × 8.9 cm, this intimate piece captures a rabbit in a tense, coiled pose, showcasing Barye's extraordinary ability to render wildlife with lifelike precision and dynamism. Gifted from the collection of Mr. and. Paul Mellon, it the exquisite small-scale bronzes popular among 19th-century collectors. Barye, active during the Romantic era, revolutionized sculpture by focusing...
About the Artist
Antoine-Louis Barye · 1795–1875
Antoine-Louis Barye (1795–1875) was born in Paris on September 24, the son of goldsmith Pierre Barye and Marguerite Barye. Following family tradition, he apprenticed as a goldsmith under his father and, around 1810, with Martin-Guillaume Biennais, goldsmith to Napoleon. After brief military service, Barye pursued sculpture, studying under François-Joseph Bosio in 1816 and painter Baron Antoine-Jea...