Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 12

Arthur Waagen
Antique Bronze Dog "Whippet with a Butterfly" Arthur Waagen (1833-1898) 2 of 2

1860's

About the Item

Antique Bronze Dog Portrait “La Levrette au Papillon” or “Whippet (Greyhound) with a Butterfly”   Arthur Waagen (Germany, France 1833-1898) Circa 1860’s 11 x 8 x 4  inches (2of 2. Not a pair.) Arthur Waagen was a German-born sculptor and animalier which was a 19th-century artistic movement specializing in the realistic and often romantic portrayal of animals. Waagen spent most of his life in Paris and exhibited regularly at the Paris Salons from 1869 to 1887.  Celebrated in his time for his Orientalist cast bronze sculptures, Waagen frequently depicted imagery associated with sporting and hunting iconography, as well as historical or popular culture themes. More than anything else, he was best known for his depictions of dogs which are shown as frequently accompanying other figures to create small narrative vignettes. One such example, which is among his most sought after works of art, is this exquisite piece called “La Levrette au Papillon” which is also known as “Whippet (Greyhound) with a Butterfly.”   Waagen was renowned for his fine and realistic modelling and this example is no exception. The refinement of this casting is beyond compare. The execution of the dog is simply remarkable displaying her incredible intensity and life-like movement and exhibits the subtlety of the taut and tense musculature as the dog finds itself with a butterfly. She is at once playful and curious and ready to pounce. Her fine bones are clearly visible through the skin and her nails so clearly detailed as to be able to actually scratch.  Though known primarily for his animal sculptures, Waagen’s most famous work is the large hunting group ‘Kabyle au Retour de la Chasse’ from 1869 which depicts a Berber tribesman mounted on horseback hunting with his horse and surrounded by his dogs as they track down their prey. His sculptures are found in numerous international museums.
  • Creator:
    Arthur Waagen (1833-1898, French)
  • Creation Year:
    1860's
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 11 in (27.94 cm)Width: 8 in (20.32 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    The bronze is in excellent original condition though there are the minor abrasions and subtle character changes in the patina. The casting is so fine and ridiculously well done which imbues the figure tremendous sensitivity, life and movement.
  • Gallery Location:
    SANTA FE, NM
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU140827186982

More From This Seller

View All
Antique Bronze Dog "Whippet with a Butterfly" Arthur Waagen (1833-1898) 1 of 2
By Arthur Waagen
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Bronze Dog Portrait “La Levrette au Papillon” or “Whippet (Greyhound) with a Butterfly”   Arthur Waagen (Germany, France 1833-1898) Circa 1860’s 11 x 8 x 4  inches (1 of 2. ...
Category

1860s Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Antique 19th cent. Dog Portrait Jack Russell Terrier by Pierre-Albert Laplanche
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Bronze Dog Portrait of a Terrier Pierre-Albert Laplanche (French, 1826-1873) Signed in script to base "Laplanche" Stamped "E.V 3753" 8 x 2.75 x 8 1/4 inches This is a super...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Painted Cast-Metal Tiger circa 1900
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Painted Cast-Metal Tiger Continental School, circa 1900 8.75 x 19.5 inches Ex. Collection Interior Designer Joseph Cicio Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Joseph Cicio followe...
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Orientalist African Hunter Leaning on His Shield 19th cent. Black Forest, German
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Orientalist African Hunter Leaning on His Shield Black Forest, School Switzerland  19th century Carved Wood 21 inches This is an exceptionally beautifu...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Balancing Elephant, Circa 1930s, Art Deco, Louis-Albert Carvin (1875-1951)
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Balancing Elephant Louis-Albert Carvin (France, 1875-1951) Bronze, marble Circa 1930s, Art Deco 8 x 7.5 x 2 (4 1/4 x 7 1/2 x 1 7/8 figure) inches Artist Louis-Albert Carvin, born in Paris in 1875, was exposed to art from an early age through his painter father. Carvin's formal education in art began at the École des Beaux-Arts, where he studied under artists like Émmanuel Frémiet and Georges Gardet. Over the years, artist Louis-Albert Carvin became a renowned sculptor, dedicating his life’s work to the modeling of human and animal figures. He studied under Fremiet and Gardet and became a member of the Société des Artistes Français, exhibiting at the Salon des Artists Francais from 1894 until 1933 winning the Medal of Honor in his first year in 1894. Remarkably, he sculpted La Muse de l’Aviation, the bronze trophy...
Category

1930s Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

"Horse Playing with a Dog" Pierre Lenordez (1815-1892) circa 1860
By Pierre Lenordez
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"Saddled Horse Playing with a Dog"  Pierre Lenordez (1815-1892)  Bronze with green marble base, circa 1860 11 x 7 inches Painter and sculptor, professor at the Academy of Fine Arts ...
Category

1860s Realist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

You May Also Like

Patinated Bronze Statuette of William Shakespeare
By Frederick William MacMonnies
Located in New Orleans, LA
Frederick William MacMonnies 1863–1937 American William Shakespeare Signed "F. MacMonnies" and foundry-marked "E. Gruet Jeune, Fondeur, Paris" Bronze Frederick William MacMonnies...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

“Enlevement des Sabines”
By Marius Jean Antonin Mercié
Located in Southampton, NY
Here for your consideration is a beautiful highly detailed bronze done in the forth quarter of the nineteen century after the work of Jean Boulogne, known as Giambologna. Boulogne’s sculpture was done in marble and was completed between 1579 and 1583. The sculptor of this bronze is Antonin Mercie, a well known French sculptor born in 1845. The bronze represents the Rape of the Sabine Women (Latin: Sabinae raptae), also known as the Abduction of the Sabine Women or the Kidnapping of the Sabine Women, was an incident in Roman mythology in which the men of Rome committed a mass abduction of young women from the other cities in the region. It has been a frequent subject of artists and sculptors, particularly during the Renaissance and post-Renaissance eras. Signed on base “Mercie” for Antonin Mercie.. In very good condition wirh original brown patina. The base which depicts rocks is bronze and has been painted a matt black. Provenance:: A Sarasota estate. Mercié, (Marius Jean Antonin Mercie...
Category

1880s Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Polo Player Bookends in Bronze
Located in Brookville, NY
Polo Bookends in bronze for the sporty library. These were purchased from the collection of a polo player on Long Island who had a beautiful library of sporting books. He also owne...
Category

1960s Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Grand Tour Achilles and Priam Bronze Relief Plaque
Located in Astoria, NY
Grand Tour Achilles and Priam Bronze Relief Plaque, 19th century, depicting Priam begging Achilles for the body of his son, wood frame. Image: 8" H x 16.75" W; frame: 17" H x 25.5" W...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

“Owl”
Located in Southampton, NY
Here is an artist signed on base charming "Owl" sculpture by Westport Connecticut artist Joseph Lorkowski Boulton (1896-1981). "Owl" measures approx. 9 1/2" high by 5 1/2" wide and...
Category

1960s Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Cast Stone, Bronze

Neoclassical Cupid Holding Fish Patinaed Bronze Fountain Sculpture
Located in Houston, TX
Bronze fountain sculpture of Cupid hold a fish. This beautiful bronze sculpture features intricate details and has a nice natural patina.
Category

Mid-20th Century Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Recently Viewed

View All