Deer and Tree Against Sunset
1810–75
Medium
Watercolor on wove paper
Dimensions
10 5/8 x 15 1/8 in. (27 x 38.4cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
29.100.594
Tags
Art Historical Context
Antoine-Louis Barye, a pioneering French sculptor of the Romantic era (1796–1875), is celebrated for his dynamic bronze animal sculptures that captured the wild energy of nature, earning him the title "father of the animalier school." This delicate watercolor on wove paper, *Deer and Tree Against Sunset* (c. 1810–75), offers a rare glimpse into his draftsmanship. Measuring 10 5/8 x 15 1/8 inches, it depicts a serene deer poised beneath a solitary tree silhouetted against a glowing evening sky, blending his fascination with wildlife and atmospheric landscapes. Watercolor's fluid transparency s...
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...