Cast Animal Sculptures

Very sensitive rendering of a greyhound at rest with a rich dark brown patina with lighter highlights showing through. The dog is shown reclining with one paw turned up, a detail I find endearing as a dog owner, my border collie does this too! Mounted on a polished black slate base, marked Fratin on the base. Also stamped with the foundry mark 'Daubree, Editeur'. A fine desk top, shelf, or mantel piece for the dog lover, Christopher Fratin (1 January 1801 – 16 August 1864), also known as Christophe Fratin, was a noted French sculptor in the animalier style, and one of the earliest French sculptors to portray animals in bronze. Fratin was born in Metz, Moselle, France the son of a taxidermist. He first studied drawing under Pioche in Metz and later worked in Paris at the studio of Théodore Géricault. He exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1831 to 1842 and 1850–1862, as well as at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. Fratin never signed his bronzes but instead used a stamp showing his last name in straight block letters. Fratin received monumental commissions in France and elsewhere, including the Deux Aigles Gardant Leur Proie (Eagles and Prey, created 1850) displayed since 1863 in New York City’s Central Park. Today, Fratin’s sculpture is on permanent display in the Louvre, the city museums of Metz, Lyon, Strasbourg, Nîmes and at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. The Georg Eisler...

Charming mid 19th Century French gilt bronze study of two rabbits standing in alert positions outside their burrow. The bronze exhibiting excellent han...

"Lièvre au Repos" by Pierre Jules Mêne An entrancing mid 19th Century Animalier bronze study of an alert hare. The bronze exhibiting excellent hand chased surface detail and good ri...

Large antique French cast iron horse head. Originally it was mounted on a gate pillar at the stables of a chateau in the South of France so the head has endured many years outdoors a...

A large recumbent cast iron greyhound attributed to J.W. Fiske Foundry, New York, circa late 19th century. Weathered black painted finish with underlayers showing through. Wear and ...

A very rare late 19th Century French Animalier bronze study of a standing ostrich, the detailed feathering chased with extremely fine precision, the flightless giant bird...

American cast iron and painted horse head hitching post with a central fluted ringed column resting on a squared base, Mid 19th Century.

An excellent mid 19th Century French animalier bronze study of reclining panther with wonderful autumnal (green, orange, black and brown) patination and very intricate hand chased su...

A finely cast lost-wax bronze with a deep coloured patina. Made in Austria, this piece is exceptionally rare and unusually large in size for a Bergmann bronze exuding a powerful pres...

Pair of American cast iron hand painted preening ducks resting on squared bases. Late 19th Century.

An artistically created sculpture table decorative objects, After Jules Moigniez (French 1835-1894), bronze figure group modelled as a bull, cow and calf on the naturalistically modelled ground before a fence, upon an oval base, signed J Moigniez. This bronze with a brown patina, entitled “Bovine family...

American Copper full bodied pig directional weathervane resting on squared iron stand, late 19th century.

This fantastic pair of 19th century finely sculpted, large scale bronze figures are after Guillaume Costou (1677 – 1746. )They each depict a wild prancing horse being restrained by t...

Early 19th century Diminutive French Bronze of a Seated 'Coiffed' Poodle France, Possibly late 18th century/ early 19th century The early 19th century French bronze of a seated 'C...

A 19th century French bronze of a spaniel/setter type dog. Signed P J Mene A beautifully modelled portrait study of a dog it looks up from it looks up keenly towards it’s master. ...

A late 19th century equestrian bronze of a jockey on horseback by Pierre Jules Mene (1810-1879) signed "P.J.Mene" on the bronze base and mounted on r...

A 19th century French bronze gilt boar head. The boar with inlaid Glass eyes. D'ore (Gilt) bronze chenets, cast with the figure of a boar head. Boar Bronze...

Excellent quality and very rare mid 19th Century French Animalier bronze study of a seated griffon hound looking intently at two pigeons feeding beside him. The bronze with excellent...

An antique refined bronze sculpture of boy playing with a hoop and a stick go with a Whippet/Greyhound dog. It has the original patina, signed on the base: Jules Moigniez. Made in Fr...

Excellent late 19th century animalier bronze study of a feeding reindeer with rich brown colour and very fine hand chased and etched surface detail, raised on a stepped naturalistic base, stamped with Peyrol Foundry mark and signed Isidore Bonheur Additional information Height: 16 cm Width: 22 cm Condition: Excellent Original Condition Foundry: Peyrol circa: 1880 Materials: Bronze SKU: 8211 DESCRIPTION Isidore Bonheur Isidore Bonheur, born in Bordeaux May 15 1827. Isidore was the third child of Christine Dorotheé Sophie Marquis (1797–1833), a musician, and Oscar-Raymond Bonheur (1796–1849) (a landscape and portrait painter and an early adherent of Saint-Simonianism, a Christian-socialist sect that promoted the education of women alongside men). Isidore was the brother of Auguste Bonheur...

An impressive late 19th century French bronze study of a majestic bull with standing in a proud stance exhibiting excellent hand chased surface detail and fine rich brown patina. Rai...

A pair of amusing 19th century bronze dog sculptures of ‘Playful Pets’ by Leblanc Freres. Two whippets misbehave! One pinning a large maine ...

A magnificent late 19th century French bronze study of a large bull in a proud stance, the bronze exhibiting excellent hand chased surface detail and fine rich brown patina. Raised o...

19th century pair of bronze Egyptian Revival sphinx figures in reclining poses seated on solid wooden rectangular plinth bases. A well-detailed...

A very fine French Animaliers bronze study of a stallion standing behind a post and rail fence exhibiting excellent hand finished surface detail and good...

"Guerrier du Caucase" by Antoine L Barye Excellent French bronze study of a mounted Caucasian Warrior in full armour, the bronze with excellent hand chased surface detail and rich green, brown, black and orange patination, signed BARYE. A fabulous example of this important sculpture in optimal condition. Additional Information Height: 20 cm Width: 17 cm Depth: 7 cm Condition: Excellent Original Condition Foundry: Atelier Barye circa: 1874 Materials: Bronze Book Ref BARYE Catalogue Raisonne des Sculptures by Michel Poletti – Alain Richarme Page no. 78 Description Antoine Louis Barye “The Michelangelo of the Menagerie” These are the words of Théophile Gautier in praise of Barye’s genius. Throughout his life Barye endeavoured to capture the fundamental nature of the animal kingdom in all its diversity, wild or tame, exotic or familiar, cruel or gentle, bringing to life the roaring, trembling, living beasts. The son of a goldsmith, apprenticed to a steel engraver at a young age, Barye found himself making moulds for ornaments, acquiring knowledge that he would later build on to produce his exquisitely chased bronzes. When he was called up at seventeen, he joined the army’s topographic brigade where he used clay to model raised relief maps...

A fabulous Mid-19th Century French animalier bronze study of two hunting hounds, a setter and a pointer, flushing a partridge in the undergrowth. The bronze with very Fine deep brown...

Antique French bronze sculpture of a partridge family by Jules Moigniez, 19th century. Exquisitely chiseled and cast, as is almost always the case wit...

Fine 19th century French gilded bronze model of a dog. The bronze beautifully cast by renowned French sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet. Cast as a recumberant Samoyed on an elongasted oval b...

Enameled bronze elephant incense scupture, figure. Either Japanese Cloissone or French Champleve . No makers markings.

Top quality made and highly decorative, bronze eagle claw desk piece. With the holiday season on our doorstep we will be offering a number of season relat...

19th century the Lobster Japanese bronze Lobster Meiji Period.

Antique 18th 19th Century Palanquin Mythical Lion or Tiger Finial Bronze Handle. Large heavy Indian Mythological bronze palanquin fitting cast via the lost wax technique, beautifully stylized and crafted in the form of protective mythological creature. Palanquin finials were used to adorn the pole ends of the palanquin or palki. A fine and massive example of a palanquin pole finial with good detail and fine patina. India, circa: 18th/19thc. The Palanquin handle...

Antique French Cast Iron Ram's Head from Butcher's Shop An original cast iron ram's head that would have adorned a boucherie / butcher's shop interior...

"Taureau Debout" by Rosa Bonheur. An excellent late 19th Century French animalier bronze study of a standing bull with fine hand chased surface that accentuates the muscle definition of the subject, signed Rosa B. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Measures: Width: 32 cm Height: 18 cm Depth: 11cm Condition: Excellent Original Condition Circa: 1870 Materials: Bronze Book reference: Animals in Bronze by Christopher Payne Page no. 174 DESCRIPTION Bonheur, Rosa (1822-1899) The most popular artist of nineteenth-century France, Rosa Bonheur was also one of the first renowned painters of animals and the first woman awarded the Grand Cross by the French Legion of Honor. A professional artist with a successful career, Bonheur lived in two consecutive committed relationships with women. Born on March 16, 1822 in Bordeaux, Marie Rosalie Bonheur was the oldest of the four children of Raimond Oscar Bonheur (1796-1849) and Sophie Marquis. Bonheur's father was an art teacher who came from a poor family, while her mother, a musician, had descended from a middle-class family and had been her husband's art student. Bonheur's father, who taught drawing and landscape painting, was an ardent member of the utopian Saint Simeon society. The group held idealistic beliefs about the reform of work, property, marriage, and the role of women in society. Most importantly, for the artist's future, the Saint Simeons questioned traditional gender norms and firmly believed in the equality of women. While teaching artistic techniques to his oldest daughter, Raimond Bonheur also encouraged her independence and taught her to consider art as a career. In 1828 Raimond Bonheur joined the Saint Simeons at their retreat outside Paris. Sophie and the children joined him in Paris the following year. Four years later, however, Raimond abandoned his family to live in isolation with his fellow Saint Simeons. Sophie Bonheur died in 1833 at the age of thirty-six. Rosa was only eleven years old when her mother died, but she was aware of the heavy price her mother paid for married life with a man who was more dedicated to his own ideals than to meeting his family's needs. Rosa also saw that her mother's marriage led to poverty and her death from exhaustion. After her mother's death, Bonheur was taken in by the Micas family who resided nearby. Mme Micas and Bonheur's mother had been friends. When Mme Bonheur died, the Micas family paid Raimond Bonheur's debts and cared for Rosa. Their daughther, Nathalie, who would later become an amateur inventor and unschooled veterinarian, and Rosa became enamored with each other. When Rosa Bonheur began her career as a professional artist, she had already been trained by her father who had allowed her to study in all male classes. Rosa also learned by sketching masterworks at the Louvre from the age of fourteen, and later, by studying with Léon Cogniet. From the very beginning, Bonheur's favorite subject was animals. She learned their anatomy completely by dissecting them in local slaughterhouses. She also visited the horse market two times a week. Study of animals by direct observation led to the formation of the realist style in which Bonheur worked. It was for such work that Bonheur obtained written permission from the French government to wear men's slacks. Her working attire also consisted of a loose smock and heavy boots that protected her feet from the dangerous environment in which she painted. The style of dress that the artist adopted for work and home may well have been influenced by her father's attire, which was based on St. Simeonian clothing experiments. Bonheur also cropped her hair, perhaps to facilitate her work. She did, however, always wear dresses for social occasions because she knew that appropriate dress would further her career. Bonheur earned a successful living as a painter of animals. She exhibited at the annual Paris Salon regularly from the age of nineteen in 1841 through 1853, when she was thirty-one. She won the salon's gold medal at the age of twenty-six in 1848 and was commissioned by the French government to paint Plowing on the Nivernais in 1849. In the same year Bonheur and her sister Juliette became directors of l'École gratuite de dessin pour les jeunes filles, a post their father had once held. Bonheur completed her most renowned work, The Horse Fair, in 1855. The successful representation of percherons (a breed native to Normandy) was purchased by Ernest Gambart, a London art dealer whose gallery specialized in work by French artists. He exhibited The Horse Fair in London where Bonheur visited with Nathalie. Queen Victoria requested a private viewing of the painting at Windsor Castle. It would later be purchased in 1887 by Cornelius Vanderbilt and donated to the new Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Bonheur's trip to England allowed her to meet Charles Eastlake, then President of the Royal Academy, John Ruskin, the English writer and critic, and Edwin Landseer, the British animalier. She also toured the English and Scottish countrysides and executed some paintings based on her observations of new breeds of animals found there. Gambart made engravings of Bonheur's work, including The Horse Fair, and sold them in England, Europe, and the United States. Bonheur became one of the most renowned painters of the time. Little girls, such as Anna Klumpke in the United States, even had dolls in her likeness, much as American girls played with Shirley Temple dolls...

19th century Italian Grand Tour panther handled askos, or wine vessel. The design of this piece is probably based on a bronze Roman askos held within Naples Museum. An askos is an a...

This antique sculpture was done by the well known P.J. Mene of France, and dates to approximately 1875, but may date slightly later to after his death, and done in the period late Vi...

A scene from Ramakian or Ramayan, the Indian epic Rama and Sita. Large and heavy Antique Indian Temple toy metal camel, bronze camel on wheels. Camel with r...

This is a heavy bronze group sculpture of two seabirds and a crab by Jules Moigniez. It depicts two seabirds in attack positions- stretching up their feathers and crouching their bod...

Late 1800s heavy solid cast iron lion head with ornate detail. Slightly concave side profile. Please note, this item is located in one of our NYC l...

19th C bronze German sheppard doorstop. Great condition.

A good quality pair of of Cast iron door porters in a 'Lion Sejant Erect' form or sometimes termed 'sejant-rampant' - and in the manner of the coat of arms of dominion of the British Royal Monarch. In their original state with some original white paint but mostly exposed iron which has been sealed and waxed to preserve the beautiful patina. A decorative...

Excellent late 19th Century French bronze figure of a walking stag with beautiful autumnal, green. black. brown and orange patination and excellent hand finished surface detail on an oval naturalistic base with integral stepped plinth, signed Barye and inscribed F Barbedienne Fondeur ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Measures: Height: 19 cm Width: 22 cm Condition: Excellent Original Condition Circa: 1870 Foundry: F Barbedienne Materials: Bronze Book Ref Barye by Michel Poletti & Alain Richarme ABOUT Antoine Louis Barye “The Michelangelo of the Menagerie” These are the words of Théophile Gautier in praise of Barye’s genius. Throughout his life Barye endeavoured to capture the fundamental nature of the animal kingdom in all its diversity, wild or tame, exotic or familiar, cruel or gentle, bringing to life the roaring, trembling, living beasts. The son of a goldsmith, apprenticed to a steel engraver at a young age, Barye found himself making moulds for ornaments, acquiring knowledge that he would later build on to produce his exquisitely chased bronzes. When he was called up at seventeen, he joined the army’s topographic brigade where he used clay to model raised relief maps...

A wonderful set of two Victorian heavy cast brass sitting English Pointer dogs. Depicted 'en profile' facing towards or from each other. They were originally made as doorstoppers, but also very useful as large bookends...

Pair of finely chaste bronze and dore bronze of dog and cat. Very life like.

A wonderful mid 19th Century French Animalier bronze group entitled "Jument Arabe et Son Poulain No.3” by P J Mene - of a mare turning her head towards her playful foal; the bronze s...

Remarkable, practical and highly decorative antique table. We are certain that this incredibly well-crafted and one of a kind table will appeal to both antique furniture enthousiasts in general AND to wine related antique collectors in particular. Because of its worldly subject matter, decorative appeal and top quality workmanship we expect people from all walks of life and from many countries across the globe to take a liking to this work of art and table into one. To us, this unique table ticks all the boxes and we, again, felt blessed for it to come our way. Just like, through our hands, we expect it to find exactly the right custodian somewhere in the world. The design, the workmanship and the symbolism in this antique, is what makes it so much more than just a table. The entire design and condition is remarkable, but the incredibly well carved faun or satyr sculpture in the stem of this table really is what takes it to the next level. The details of the faun (he is often found in sculptures together with Bacchus), his amazing polished surface and patina, but also the grape vines and bunches, they really are an absolute joy to own and to look at. Thanks to the perfect tripod base this table also stands as strong and firm as the day it was handmade all those decades ago. Apart from some truly minor wear, consistent with age and of being used and enjoyed, this 19th century solid wooden, wine theme...

Arab Water Carrier by Dieder Debut An excellent French late 19th Century Art Nouveau bronze, of a an Arab man Carrying two jugs, one on each arm. With good detail and a rich brown p...

A very fine Animalier bronze study of a feeding gazelle with her fawn reclining at her feet. The bronze with rich brown patina and excellent detail raised on a naturalistic base, signed Fratin and engraved with title to the fore ‘Gazelle’ Additional information Height: 10 cm Width: 17 cm Condition: Excellent Original Condition Circa: 1860 Materials: Bronze Book reference: Bronzes of the 19th Century by Pierre Kjellberg SKU: 4934 ABOUT Christopher Fratin (1 January 1801 – 16 August 1864), also known as Christophe Fratin, was a noted French sculptor in the animalier style, and one of the earliest French sculptors to portray animals in bronze. Fratin was born in Metz, Moselle, France the son of a taxidermist. He first studied drawing under Pioche in Metz and later worked in Paris at the studio of Théodore Géricault. Work He exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1831–1842 and 1850–1862, as well as at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. Fratin never signed his bronzes but instead used a stamp showing his last name in straight block letters. One of the stamps he used (pictured) showed the "n" reversed, not by design but due to an error on the part of the maker of the stamp. Bronzes bearing this stamp have the appearance of not seeming to be genuine when in reality they are. Fratin received monumental commissions in France and elsewhere, including the Deux Aigles Gardant Leur Proie (Eagles and Prey, created 1850) displayed since 1863 in New York City's Central Park. Many of his small bronzes—including his miniature bronzes which were more affordable due to their smaller size—were sold commercially to the general public during his lifetime. Today, Fratin's sculpture is on permanent display in the Louvre, the city museums of Metz, Lyon, Strasbourg, Nîmes and at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. The Georg Eisler...

A handsome French late 19th century wall mounted statue of a cast iron horse's head. The statue displays an oblong back plate and lovely intricate ...

A bold 19th century American cast iron bear sculpture with wonderful attention to detail including expressive facial muscles, thick fur, and anatomically cor...

This is a P.J.Mene patinated bronze sculptures of a pair of hunting dogs. He is considered one of the pioneers of animals sculpture of the 19th century. The sculptures feature a hairy whippet dog standing with its frontal paws over an English Setter dog...

Delightful mid 19th Century French Animaliers bronze study of a playful Greyhound and King Charles Spaniel, with rich brown rubbed to a golden colour and fine hand chased surface det...

A 19th Century Bronze Study of a Grey Hound, by Joseph Chemin This splendid mid 19th century bronze study was sculpted by the noted French artist Joseph Vi...

A fabulous late 19th Century animalier bronze group of two opposing polo players on their eager ponies going for the ball with excellent hand chased surface detail and good colour, raised on a stepped naturalistic base and signed I Bonheur Additional Information Height: 32 cm Width: 67 cm Condition: Excellent Original Condition Circa: 1880 Materials: Bronze About Isidore Bonheur Isidore Bonheur, born in Bordeaux May 15 1827. Isidore was the third child of Christine Dorotheé Sophie Marquis (1797–1833), a musician, and Oscar-Raymond Bonheur (1796–1849) (a landscape and portrait painter and an early adherent of Saint-Simonianism, a Christian-socialist sect that promoted the education of women alongside men). Isidore was the brother of Auguste Bonheur...

Wonderful 19th Century animalier bronze group of a standing ewe with her feeding lamb beneath her, the bronze with excellent rich brown patina and very fine hand chased surface detai...

Fabulous example of a 19thc weathervane which served well and survived it's time on a country roof top. A few dings and some wear by the front leg. Head is cast zinc. Was touched up...

An excellent late 19th century English Animalier bronze study of a tried hunter in full tack taking a break with his neck turned and back leg rested. The bronze exhibiting very fine ...