Panther
model c. 1831, cast by 1874
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
overall: 13.65 × 19.05 cm (5 3/8 × 7 1/2 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase)
Accession Number
2015.19.3875
Art Historical Context
Antoine-Louis Barye *Panther*, modeled around 1831 and cast in bronze by 1874, captures the raw power and grace of its wild subject in a compact sculpture measuring just 5⅜ × 7½ inches. This tabletop masterpiece, now part of the National Gallery Art’s Corcoran, exemplifies Barye’s mastery of animalier sculpture—a niche he helped pioneer in 19th-century France. a leading Romantic sculptor, Barye inspiration from the natural world, studying live animals at the Paris Jardin des Plantes to infuse his works with anatomical precision and dynamic movement. Unlike the static classical figures of the...
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...