2 cols.

“Tiger at Rest,” circa 1850s–1860s, oil on canvas, 19¼ by 447/8  inches.

2 cols.

“Roger and Angelica Mounted on the Hippogriff,” modeled circa 1840, cast 1846, bronze, cast in several section, connected with rivets and bolts, brown patina over golden bronze, 203/8  by 231/8  inches.

2 cols.

“Walking Lion, Striding Lion” (racing trophy), 1865, silver, 13½  by 25¼ inches.

1 1/2  cols.

Python Killing a Gnu,” 1834–39, bronze, lost wax cast, warm brown patina over areas of metallic flake, with traces of gilding, 8½ inches.

1 1/2  cols.

“Turkish Horse, No. 2,” modeled circa 1844, bronze, dark brown patina, 11½ by 12½ inches.

FOR 2-2

THE WALTERS PRESENTS UNTAMED: THE ART OF ANTOINE-LOUIS BARYE w/4 cuts

ak/gs set 1-23 #685607

BALTIMORE, MD. — The Walters Art Museum has organized an exhibition of more than 160 works devoted to French artist Antoine-Louis Barye (1796–1875), the foremost animal sculptor or animalier of the Nineteenth Century. On view February 11–May 6, this exhibition will be the first in recent times to emphasize the full range of Barye’s production, including not only his well-known bronze sculptures but also his oil paintings, watercolors and sketches. These pieces are drawn primarily from the Walters’ Barye collection, which rivals the Louvre both in scope and significance.

These artworks will reveal the breadth of his subjects from mythological creatures and game animals to animal combat scenes and the human form. Auguste Rodin was an early pupil, and Barye’s work was a source of inspiration to Henri Matisse and Paul Cézanne.

The Walters’ Barye collection includes more than 180 bronzes, a variety of models in different media, 25 watercolors and two oil paintings, all acquired either by William T. Walters (1819–94) or his son, Henry Walters (1848–1931). In 1949 the Walters Art Museum purchased 349 Barye sketches from the artist’s granddaughter to add to its holdings. Uniquely featured in the Walters’ collection are original casts, such as the silver “Walking Lion” commissioned by Napoleon III in 1863, and the five principal hunt groups from the duke of Orleans’ table centerpiece, regarded as one of the key works of French romantic sculpture.

Bayre received both neoclassical and romantic training by studying with François-Joseph Bosio (1768–1845), a neoclassical sculptor specializing in portrait busts and themes derived from antiquity, and with Antoine-Jean Gros (1771–1835), an early romantic artist famous for battle paintings glorifying Napoleon’s exploits.

Never having left the environs of Paris, Barye’s experiences at the Jardin des Plantes, the botanical and zoological garden founded in Paris in 1793, allowed for the observation of all manners of wild animal subjects, including lions, tigers, bears and horses. He used his imagination to explore exotic themes such as animal combat between a serpent and Gnu that would not actually take place in nature. In addition, he had access to the Jardin’s Cabinet of Comparative Anatomy, allowing for the viewing of skeletons and dissections.

Barye produced some of the most experimental and controversial sculptures of the century based on his careful observation of specimens in the Jardin des Plantes. He is remembered for monumental works commissioned by the state as well as for small sculptures intended for interior decoration. Barye was also a pioneer in the production of multiple bronze casts (called “editions”) for the rapidly expanding middle-class market.

In addition to Barye’s well-known sculptures, he was also a painter. He began in the late 1820s to paint with watercolors, a medium that British artists, including George Stubbs, made popular in early Nineteenth Century France. Still using exotic animals as his subject, Barye developed a distinctive technique using opaque pigments or washes combined with ink, chalk and pastel. He built up rich textures and frequently abraded the surfaces.

In the 1840s, he began painting landscapes in the vicinity of the village of Barbizon, an artist’s colony on the edge of the Fontainebleau forest. He included unusual rock formations, stretches of sand and gnarled trees.

The Walters Art Museum is in Baltimore’s historic Mount Vernon cultural district at 600 North Charles at Centre Street. For information, www.thewalters.org or 410-547-9000.