Bronze Animal Sculptures

This rare fossil specimen of a large prehistoric tarpon-like cladocyclus gardineri fish is an impressive find, spanning more than 1.1m! Believed to be from Brazil, this prehistoric fossil fish...

An Egyptian bronze Horus falcon, Late Period, circa 716-30 B.C. “I am Horus, the great Falcon... My flight has reached the horizon... I have gone further than the gods of old. Even the most ancient...

This exceptional pair of bronze horses are attributed to royal French sculptor Jean-Baptiste Tuby, and they recall the lavishly decorated gardens...

Cast bronze sculpture of a seated cat, mounted on a square, marble plinth. Note the minor patination wear to the casting. France, circa 1870.

18th century bronze striding lion mounted on a rouge antico marble base. Lion shown growling with tail whipping. Provenance: Roger Pringet.

A pair of bronze lions after Boizot for chenets in the Salon de la Paix, Versailles, 1786. These recumbent lions are unusually grand in scale and are raised upon the original Rouge Griotte marble bases. Each is modelled with a long nose, deeply set eyes with pronounced lids, abundant mane and the tail curled over the left hip. These bronzes are after the well-known model produced in terracotta by Louis-Simon Boizot for a pair of chenets in the Salon de la Paix, Versailles, in 1786. This pair probably circa 1786 and circa 1790. Provenance: The Huggins family (probably purchased by Albert Edward Huggins around 1860) Major Tom Bird DSO, MC and bar (1918-2017). Turville Heath House. Louis-Simon Boizot (1743-1809) was the son of a designer at the Gobelins Manufactory and rose to become a sculptor of international repute, working for both the Bourbon Royal family and the Imperial family that succeeded them. In addition to his works, both public and private, in marble and bronze, Boizot worked from 1773-1800 as director of sculpture at the Royal Sevres porcelain manufactory. He is also known to have worked on terracotta models that formed the basis of bronze and ormolu decorative objects and his work was frequently then chased by Thomire. The surviving records in the Guarde-Meuble at Versailles for the lion chenets are quite detailed. The artists Bureau, Pigal and Bourette received payment for design drawings and wax models and then Boizot received a considerably larger sum for producing a model in terracotta. It is therefore impossible to state, with certainty, that Boizot was responsible for the original design, but the treatment of certain features of the lions, in particular the very distinctive finishing of the eyes, is echoed in a marble self-portrait by the bronzier Thomire. Rouge Griotte marble was in particular favour with the Bourbon monarchy. Examination of these bases suggests that this marble would have been quarried in the 18th century which gives additional weight to the dating of the pieces. The fact that these valuable French works of art found their way into the home of a wealthy British entrepreneur is testament to the cordial trading relations evident in Europe following the peace of 1815. The Huggins family owned a brewery in Golden Square (Soho), London, known as the Lion Brewhouse. As can be seen from a surviving trademark application, presumably from 1875, the particular style of the “lion couchant” on the advert bears distinct similarities to the Boizot lion. Major Thomas Archer Bird, DSO, MC & Bar (1918-2017) was a distinguished British soldier whose inspirational command of the anti-tank ‘S’ Company, at Outpost Snipe during the Second Battle of El Alamein, helped destroy the armoured counter-attack of General Erwin Rommel...

This figure composed of wood covered in gesso and mounted with cast bronze tail, head and legs has been set on a later wood base. The head and tail are finely detailed and engraved. Purchased in the Middle East in 1969 and then brought to this country and remaining in the same collection ever since the statue represents Thoth. The image of an ibis on a perch in hieroglyphics is the image of the God Thoth and thus is a double symbol. Referred to as “The Lord of the Divine Words” he was a favorite of learned men and was considered the god of wisdom, scribes, and the powerful and magical skill of writing. Numerous examples of this form of depiction exist some with alabaster instead of wood some in total bronze and then some bronze mounted with gessoed wood or with the gesso gilded in different states of decay. We believe this to be from a late period approx. 30 BC. It is possible to cite many examples but a specific one is chosen here as it is incredibly similar in size, in construction and appearance to this example sold by Case Antiques Auction...

The statue is made of bronze with the "lost wax casting" technique. The lost wax casting is a sculptural technique originally introduced in the Bronze Age and later in Greek, Roman a...

A fine Meissen pug dog after an 18th century model by Kaendler, on a gilt bronze rococo style base. This porcelain is likely one part of a set of two pugs,...

A large Chinese Ming bronze kyrin shape incense burner. Beautiful and decorative period Ming dynasty cast bronze of a scaled foo dog or mythical be...

A extremely rare pair Tibetan gilt bronze beast figures of a male and female rats, circa 16th century with gilt gold wash. They show their age and are wonderful and auspicious decora...

Dog Fô Current In Lacquered Bronze, China End Of The Eighteenth Century Or Early Nineteenth L: 25cm, h: 20cm, p: 9cm