19th Century Animal Sculptures

A charming bust of a child’s head by Edwin Whitney-Smith, dated 1910, the girl has her head slightly tilted forwards as she looks out from under a lock of hair, set on a square block signed on the reverse ‘E Whitney-Smith 1910’. This bronze is a reduction of Whitney-Smith’s original marble piece, a photograph of which survives in the V&A (object number AAD/1990/12/63). Another version can be seen in a 1920s photograph of the artist in his studio owned by the National Portrait Gallery (NPG x194201). Neither the identity of the sitter nor title of the work is known. Edwin Whitney-Smith (1880-1952) was one of the pre-eminent sculptors of his day. Born in Bristol in 1880, he became a student of William Harbutt, the headmaster of Bath School of Art, best remembered today for inventing plasticine. Whitney-Smith showed great promise from an early age, opening a studio in St John’s Wood, London, in 1910. He exhibited over 40 pieces at the Royal Academy and despite not achieving Academician status, even with list of illustrious proposers, he became a dear friend of Sir Alfred Munnings, the famous horse painter, and sculpted his portrait. He was, however, elected to the Royal Society of British Sculptors and his works were generally well-received by critics and the general public alike. Aside from the RA, he exhibited in Bristol, at the Paris Salon and the Scottish Academy and his work attracted the attention of such important patrons as the Courtauld family. One of his most famous works, The Waking Child, is in the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull and another, The Irishman, is in the Tate. One version of his bust of Ernest Bevin, the trade unionist, stands in Tooley Street in Bermondsey to this day. An article in The Sphere, published on the 3rd of May 1924, referred to the sculptor as “a well-known sculptor of smiling children” and mentioned his “famous babies’ heads”.

A refined small bronze sculpture with a group of hares. Accurate anatomical proportions. With the original patina. Signed on the base: PJ Mène. Pierre-Jules Mêne (25 March 1810 – ...

Cast bronze prancing greyhound by Pierre Jules Mene, (1810-1879). The highly detailed bronze rests on a back granite base. Impressed signature, PJ Mene. No foundry mark, but this was...

Decorative green orbe 12" diameter. Blown glass home decor. In my organic, contemporary, vintage and mid-century modern aesthetic.

Antique Mounted on Base Sculpture Cast Head Zeus Bust Decorative Bibelot CA LA . Bust inspired by Classic models . head mounted on a black base representing...

Great cast bronze elephant sculpture mounted on a marble base. Elephant has wonderful details and appears the tusks were replaced over time. Base has one tiny edge chip. Elephant has...

Italian set of Five death mask Italian death mask cast, circa 1930s. Showing in the 19th century glass country cabinet.The price is only for the mask t...

We presents for your consideration, this cast-iron bust of Nike. A handsome decorative object for the garden, garden terrace, or interior space, Nike will add that layer of colle...

Elegant and sophisticated, this bronze blackbird -- inset with a second metal, probably silver -- was designed by Jean Luce, one of France's master designers in the Art Deco period. ...

The special work of the horse head creates an elegant and dignified aura from compressed marble, while at the same time re-emphasizing the elegance of the horse, one of the most aest...

ANDRÉ-VINCENT BECQUEREL silvered bronze circa 1930. 7 swallows on a weather vane mounted on a surfine black marble base from Belgium. Note 2 small chips on the marble . Total height...

Fine metal painted head horse on horseshoe, circa 1890.