Nine Light Candelabra with Six Figures, Masks, and Chimeras
c. 1840
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
overall (height by diameter): 66.04 × 41.91 cm (26 × 16 1/2 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase)
Accession Number
2014.136.277.2
Art Historical Context
Antoine-Louis Barye a leading French sculptor of the Romantic era, crafted this *Nine Light Candelabra Six Figures, Masks, Chimeras* around1840. Cast in bronze, the 26-inch-tall piece (66 × 42 cm) exemplifies Barye's mastery of theier style—realistic yet dynamic depictions of animals and mythical creatures. Here, the ornate candelabra supports nine lights atop a base crowded with muscular figures, grotesque masks, and fantastical chimeras, utility with exuberant decoration. Barye revolutionized bronze sculpture through innovative lost-wax casting techniques, allowing intricate details like th...
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...