Antoine-Louis Barye
Pair of Candlesticks
circa 1890

Name: Pair of Candlesticks
Brand: Antoine-Louis Barye
Price: 6445.28 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Antoine-Louis BARYE (1796-1875) Pair of Candlesticks Pair of neo-Greek candlesticks Bronze with a dark patina signed on the underside "Barye" Old cast France circa 1890 height 27 cm diameter 11,8 cm A similar model is reproduced in "The Barye Bronzes", Stuart Pivar, England, 1974, p.257. Biography : Antoine-Louis Barye (1796-1875) was a French sculptor, known for his animal sculptures. His sketch practice done in the wild, according to the animals of the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, led him gradually to also practice painting. Placed early in Fourier, an engraver on steel manufacturing metal parts for the uniforms of the Great Army, he learned all areas of metal processing and became a peerless worker. He entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1818, where he received classical training in the workshop of the sculptor François Joseph Bosio and the painter Antoine-Jean Gros. He graduated in 1820, the second prize for sculpture in Rome for his "Cain cursed by God" .It was in 1831 that Barye became known to the public exhibiting then his "Tiger devouring a Crocodile", tormented and expressive work, which ranked as soon as the first Romantic sculptor, and causing admiration criticism. He now produced numerous masterpieces, often of small dimensions, that will enrich the collections of fans on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1833, Barye exhibited at the Salon his "Lion and Serpent", a king's command to the Tuileries Gardens, an allegory of the monarchy crushing sedition, three years after the July Revolution. Critics are enthusiastic but it's not necessarily the case of his colleagues. In total contrast to the supporters of the academy who then ruled the Institute, Barye opened a foundry and edited himself his production, using modern techniques of his time. Like the Romantic artists of his time, Barye appreciated the exotic and the Middle Ages. He preferred bronze to marble because too cold. The style of Barye settled down from 1843. He gave his human figures inspired by Greek models, such as the bronze group of "Theseus and the Centaur Biénor", an energy and a movement specific to the romantic vision . Barye's Republican ideas do not prevent him from binding with Ferdinand-Philippe d’Orléans, for whom he made a table centerpiece. He became one of the favorite sculptors of Napoleon III, under whose reign he produced monumental works such as "Peace", "Strength", "War" and "The Order" for the decoration of the new palace of the Louvre and an equestrian statue of the emperor for the gates of the Louvre. Despite his business and practice of art that confused members of the Institute, they finally welcome within them in 1868, and Barye knew recognition in the last ten years of his life.

Creator:

Antoine-Louis Barye (1796 - 1875, French)

Creation Year:

circa 1890

Dimensions:

Height: 10.63 in (27 cm)Diameter: 4.65 in (11.8 cm)

Medium:

Bronze

Movement & Style:

French School

Period:

Late 19th Century

Condition:

Gallery Location:

PARIS, FR

Reference Number:

Seller: N.60051stDibs: LU2514214462732

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Antoine-Louis Barye

The son of a goldsmith, Parisian born Antoine-Louis Barye was a sculptor of animal subjects and acclaimed, not only for his apparent skill but as the founder of what became known as the French Animaliers School. Among his patrons were representatives of the state government and royalty, including the Duke of Orleans and the Dukes of Luynes, Montpensier and Nemours.

Well compensated financially, Barye was able to buy the best of materials and hire the country's most skilled foundry craftsmen. The foundry he hired was owned by Ferdinand Barbedienne and casts from this period were stamped with the letters, FB. However, he did not make a lot of money from his work because he was such a perfectionist that often he would not sell his work because he thought it was not "quite right." In 1848, he declared bankruptcy and his molds and plaster casts were sold along with the copyrights.

Barye's specialty was aroused, angry-seeming wild game such as lions and tigers and elephants, but he also did equestrian groups and mythology figures. In order to do realistic depictions of animal anatomy, he spent much time at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. His early training was as an apprentice to a metal engraver, but being drafted in the army in 1812 ended that education. In 1832, he had established his studio, and unique at that time was his method of cold stamping his bronze casts so that each one had a special number. He had his first entry, The Milo of Croton, in the Paris Salon in 1819, winning a second prize. In 1831, a work regarded as a masterpiece, Tiger Devouring a Gavial, was in the Salon and purchased for the Luxembourg Gardens, which is now in the Louvre. However, many of his subsequent Salon submissions were rejected and so angered him that between 1836 and 1851, he refused to submit entries. In 1851, he again exhibited at the Salon with Jaguar Devouring A Hare, and this work, like the 1831 entry, was placed in the Luxembourg Gardens and eventually in the Louvre.

In spite of problems with the Salon, Barye received many accolades for his work, and the period of 1837–48 was considered the most productive time of his career. However, in 1848, when he lost control of his work and it was reproduced by others including Martin and Barbedienne, the sculptures, according to some art professionals, are not as skillfully executed. In 1848, after his bankruptcy, Barye became director of Casts and Models in the Louvre, until 1850, when he was replaced by Emmanuel Fremiet. It was a very difficult time for him. However, within a few years, he began receiving accolades for the quality and uniqueness of his work, and people began appreciating the powerful images of his sculpture, especially the wildlife in their natural surroundings. In 1854, he was appointed Master of Zoological Drawing in the Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle and held this position until his death in 1875.