Antoine-Louis Bayre

ANTOINE-LOUIS BARYE (1796-1875).
"Moose surprised by a lynx", c.1880.
Bronze with green patina and wood base.
Signed on the base "A.L. Barye."
Antique casting.
Measurements: 26 x 33 x 14 cm (with base).
This sculpture loaded with tension and dynamism captures the precise moment in which a moose, of majestic bearing and powerful musculature, reacts with shock before the imminent threat of a lynx on the prowl. The composition conveys a restrained force: the moose turns its head sharply, its paws marked and tense, while the lynx embodies the agility and ferocity of the predator.
Barye demonstrates here his technical virtuosity and his profound knowledge of animal anatomy, the result of years of study at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris.
In the artistic panorama of the 19th century, Antoine-Louis Barye emerged as a prominent figure, standing out 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 master of Auguste Rodin.
He presented his works at the Paris Salon, and created monuments such as the "Lion with Serpent" in the Tuileries Garden (1833), commissioned by the king. He is currently represented in the Louvre and Orsay Museums in Paris, the National Gallery in London, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Albertina in Vienna, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., among other museums around the world.