Louis Vidal circa 1868 "Striding Lion" French Bronze Animalier

Emile Louis Picault, French (1833-1915) "Olympias XCI Graeci Syracusis Captivi" bronze tazza Dated 1863. Standing on decorated base with Roman head motifs. Signed 'E. Picault, Exp...

Charles Korschann Czechoslovakian Art Nouveau Gilt-Bronze Figural Bud Vase. Cast from a model by Charles (Karl) Korschann, circa 1899, of urn form, with a handle in the form of a...

Beautiful roaring lion in gold patinated bronze by the artist and sculptor Louis Vidal (1831-1892) of the Romantic period, France 19th century. Dimensions in cm ( H x L x l ) : 17 x 36 x 9 Secure shipping. Louis Vidal, Vidal the blind or Vidal-Navatel is a French sculptor born on December 6, 1831 in Nîmes and who passed on May 9th, 1892 in the 12th district of Paris. Born to an unknown father and Sophie Vidal-Navatel, he grew up in a family of artists, having for stepfather the painter Alexandre Colin who married his mother in second marriage and for half-brother Paul-Alfred Colin. He studied anatomy but became blind around 1853, which prevented him from pursuing this path. He studied with the animal sculptors Antoine-Louis Barye and Pierre Louis Rouillard and became an animal sculptor himself by replacing sight with touch. This faculty enabled him to create portraits, he perceived the shape of faces by touching them and sculpted them in clay, and remains known as the author of a sculpture representing a roaring lion, as well as that of a bull in bronze, donated by the State to the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nîmes in 1867. Louis Vidal worked in particular with Alfred Barye, son of his master Antoine-Louis Barye. He became a professor of modeling in 1888 at the École Braille in Paris. A portrait of the artist taken by the photographer Étienne Carjat...

Very fine mid-19th century French Animalier bronze study of a standing Setter with excellent hand chased surface detail and rich brown patination. Raised on a stepped naturalistic base, signed J Moigniez. Additional information: Height: 19 cm Width: 34 cm Condition: excellent original condition Circa: 1870 Materials: bronze Book reference: Les Animaliers by Jane Horswell Page no. 237 About Jules Moigniez (French, 1835 ~ 1894) Moigniez was a French animalier sculptor of the 19th century. He worked primarily in bronze and frequently exhibited his sculptures at the Paris salon. He was best known for his bronzes depicting birds, although his skill and versatility enabled him to produce quality horse sculptures (primarily racehorses), dog sculptures and hunting scenes. His bird sculptures were among the finest ever created in his time. Moigniez was born at Senlis, Oise, France in 1835, the son of a metal gilder. Moigniez’s father bought a foundry to cast his sculptures, which was of great benefit to Moigniez as he didn’t have the added foundry costs that most of his contemporaries had to pay. Moigniez studied sculpture under the tutelage of Paul Comoléra (a student of François Rude) in Paris. It is quite likely that Moigniez’s attraction to bird sculpture was a direct result of his education under Comoléra, who was himself a bird specialist. Over the course of his 40-year sculpting career Moigniez exhibited thirty works at the Salon between 1855–92. His first submission in a major art exhibition was his plaster, Pointer Stopping at a Pheasant, at the Exposition Universelle of 1855.[1][2] Moigniez was known for the fine detail and chiseling of his sculptures. His bronzes—usually cast using the lost wax method—were always immaculately chased and patinated, and were especially popular in England and Scotland.[2] More than half of his output during his lifetime was sold in the United Kingdom. By the end of the 19th century, his sculpture had become popular in the United States as well. In contrast with other animaliers of the period such are P.J. Mêne and Antoine-Louis Barye, Moigniez’s bird sculptures often incorporated highly detailed bases complete with bushes, extensive foliage and undergrowth. His castings were generally of excellent quality with a variety of patinas, the gilded and silvered patinas being the most desirable and sought after by collectors. His bronzes could be reproached for an excess of detail, a result of overly-finicky, over-worked chiseling. Moigniez received redemption, however, by portraying in his sculpture a certain “elegance of attitudes”. His Chien braque...