Antoine-Louis Bayre

ANTOINE-LOUIS BARYE (1796-1875).
"Turkish horse", c. 1880.
Bronze with green patina.
Foundry BARBEDIENNE.
Signed.
Measurements: 18.5 x 19.1 x 7.6 cm.
Round sculpture representing a horse. There is a similar model reproduced in "The Barye Bronzes", Stuart Pivar, England, 1974, p. 206. Barye's works were influenced by his close observations of animals in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris.
In the 19th century art scene, Antoine-Louis Barye emerged as a prominent figure, noted for his exceptional talent in animalistic sculpture. His mastery in the representation of animals made him one of the most sought-after sculptors of his time. Although he is recognized for his depictions of animals, his work encompassed a wider range of subjects, such as mythology.
He began his training with his father, a goldsmith, and later expanded it with the masters François Joseph Bosio and Antoine-Jean Gros, at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he entered in 1818. He had his own foundry, collaborated with Viollet-le-Duc on a project commissioned by Napoleon III and was a teacher of Auguste Rodin.
A notable example of his foray into mythological themes is his interpretation of the myth of Theseus, to which he turned on two separate occasions. One of these works depicts the famous confrontation between Theseus, son of Aegeus, and the Minotaur in the labyrinth of Crete. In 1843, he presented this work at the Salon du Louvre; however, the work was rejected by the jury.