Art Deco Bronze Sculpture Panther by Maurice Prost, Susse Frères Foundry, 1930

Maurice Prost was born on March 13, 1894, in Paris and he died in 1967. He exhibited in Paris at the Salon des Artistes Français where he obtained an honorable mention in 1922, a silver medal in 1936 and a gold medal in 1963. He received the Legion of Honor in 1933. While the fate has just hit him (his arm was amputated the first months of the 1914s war), he abandoned his craft jewelry carver and opted for his passion: animal sculpture. He was a sculptor in direct carving, the hardest of the crafts. This choice was surprising considering his disability but revealed a will and a courage that characterized him throughout his life. From 1919 to 1945, Prost realized most of his creations. As an artist he was recognized by the public, by the critics and by his peers, and he received the highest distinctions during his career. He left a work illustrates one of the richest eras of the 20th century with great diversity.