Lioness and Cubs
c. 1832
Medium
Watercolor, with graphite, on ivory wove paper, laid down on Japanese paper
Dimensions
13.8 × 23.5 cm (5 7/16 × 9 5/16 in.)
Classification
watercolor
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
6201
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Barye strove for anatomical accuracy in his sculptures, and his watercolors show his interest, shared with Delacroix, in the physiological similarities between humans and wild cats. A painting and print by Delacroix, from 1830 and 1831, respectively, may have inspired the feline family grouping seen here. Barye and Delacroix also spent time drawing animals from life at the Jardin des Plantes. Access to sketch the zoo animals was not guaranteed unless, like Barye and Delacroix, one knew the direc...
About the Artist
Antoine Louis Barye (French) · 1795 –1875
French, Paris 1795–1875 Paris