Pointer

Pierre-Jules Mêne

model c. 1860s

Pointer by Pierre-Jules Mêne

Medium

bronze

Dimensions

overall: 10.8 × 22.2 × 9.5 cm (4 1/4 × 8 3/4 × 3 3/4 in.)

Classification

Sculpture

Department

CSD

Museum

National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Credit

Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon

Accession Number

1999.79.25

Art Historical Context

**Pointer** by Pierre-Julesêne (1810–1879) is a delightful bronze sculpture from the model circa 1860s, standing at just 10.8 × 22.2 × 9.5 cm—perfect for a mantel or desk. This intimate work captures a pointer dog frozen in its classic hunting stance, head alert and tail rigid, embodying the grace and intensity of the breed. Mêne, a leading French *animalier* sculptor, specialized in lifelike animal figures, often produced through lost-wax casting for exquisite detail in fur, muscle, and posture. In the mid-19th century, animalier sculpture flourished in France, celebrating the natural world ...

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