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Cheval surpris par un lion, première version: M.4-2015

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Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Cheval surpris par un lion, première version
Translated as: Horse surprised by a Lion, first version
(Horse surprised by a lion, first version)

Maker(s)

Sculptor: Barye, Antoine Louis

Entities

Categories

Description

A horse is attacked by a lion: the group is a forceful, spiralling composition of rearing horse and muscled lion locked onto its back. The entwined animals stand on an oval rocky landscape, with the horse's underbelly supported by a tree stump.

Notes

History note: Sotheby's, 28 February 1962, lot 3; purchased by L. Spero for Sir Ivor Batchelor

Legal notes

Sir Ivor and Lady Batchelor Bequest through The Art Fund

Measurements and weight

Height: 37.8 cm
Length: 35.2 cm
Width: 13.2 cm

Place(s) associated

  • Paris ⪼ France

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (2015-04-27) by Batchelor, Ivor, Sir and Lady

Dating

19th Century
Production date: circa AD 1850 : The date of the original model is unknown; first cast in bronze c. 1850; this version cast by 1857

Note

There is some disagreement about when Barye produced the model for this first version. It has been associated with a lost sculpture, Jeune lion terrassant un cheval, shown at the Paris Salon in 1834, but Poletti and Richarme 2000, p. 255, argue that Barye's exacting precision over the titles of his sculptures means that this is unlikely. The model certainly existed by 1850 when it appears to have been cast in bronze for the first time. With the introduction of a second, revised model in 1857 (wwith an integral socle unlike the present version), production of the first version ceased. It has been estimated that fewer than 30 casts of the present version survive. The foundry model for this first version was not included in the posthumous studio sale and it is therefore not known whether any casts of this model were made after Barye's death.

School or Style

French

Components of the work

Base Height 14.8 cm Length 14.9 cm Width 27 cm

Materials used in production

Copper alloy
Bronze

Techniques used in production

Casting (process) : Cast, bronze, patinated
Patination

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: 'BARYE' in intaglio
  • Location: On base
  • Type: Mark
  • Text: "2325 gse" 160
  • Location: Under base
  • Method of creation: In ink

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: M.4-2015
Primary reference Number: 201338
Old object number: 2
Former loan number: AAL.238-2006
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Thursday 14 May 2015 Updated: Monday 24 February 2020 Last processed: Friday 8 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Cheval surpris par un lion, première version" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/201338 Accessed: 2024-04-25 08:41:20

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/201338 |title=Cheval surpris par un lion, première version |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-04-25 08:41:20|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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