Tigre surprenant une antilope (Tiger Attacking an Antelope)

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Artist/Maker Antoine-Louis Barye (French, 1795 - 1875)

Datefirst cast 1857

MediumBronze

DimensionsOverall: 13 1/2 in. × 22 in. × 9 in. (34.3 × 55.9 × 22.9 cm)

Credit LineBequest of Philip W. Abell, Class of 1957

Object number1994.7

On view

DescriptionAntoine-Louis Barye was considered the father of the modern Animalier school—a mid-nineteenth-century art movement centered on the accurate depictions of animals that was particularly prevalent in France. Barye was described by a contemporaneous art critic as the “Michelangelo of the menagerie,” although portrayals of animals were considered secondary to more traditional subjects for fine art, such as events from the Bible, history, and myth. Nevertheless, Barye’s works became extremely popular with the growing bourgeoisie, as bronzes became more affordable due to advances in casting and foundries opened where artists could cast editioned multiples of their artworks. A shift in the public’s taste, away from Renaissance and Classical subjects to creatures that they might encounter in zoos—an increasingly common leisure activity in the nineteenth century—also fed into animalier sculptors’ success. Like many of his fellow artists of the Romantic period, Barye was drawn to the unpredictability and violence inherent in nature, and his works display tension, struggle, suffering, and even death. Many of his bronze figurines depict wild animals attacking one another or eating their prey. By depicting animals in the midst of such dynamic encounters, Barye was also able to call attention to his detailed knowledge of zoological anatomy.

Collections

On View

Additional Details

Exhibition History 2024-2025
Clinton, NY. The Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Menagerie: Animals in Art from the Wellin Museum," September 7, 2024 –June 8, 2025 (no cat.).

2012
Clinton, NY. Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Archive Hall: Art and Artifacts," October 6, 2012 - Present (no cat.).

2011
Clinton, NY. Fred L. Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College. "Learning to Look: Hamilton's Cabinets, Galleries and Museums Past, Present and Future," September 15 - December 16, 2011 (no cat.).

1994
Clinton, NY. Fred L. Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College. “A Discerning Eye: Philip W. Abell (1935-1993) A Memorial Exhibition”, September 23 – November 6, 1994 (brochure).

Provenance Philip Abell, Class of 1957; to Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College, 1994.

Published References Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College, "Acquisitions 1994," FRIENDS OF ART NEWSLETTER (August 1995).

A DISCERNING EYE: PHILIP W. ABELL (1935-1993) A MEMORIAL EXHIBITION (brochure, Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College, September 23- November 6, 1994).

Signature Signed in cast on base at front left: "BARYE"