Pierre-Jules Mène - Bronze hunting dog

Dimensions: H × W × D: 21 × 30 × 13 cm

Description:
Antique bronze sculpture of a short-haired hunting dog carrying a hare in its mouth.

When designing the bronze, the artist placed particular emphasis on the realistic anatomy - musculature, ribs and sinew structure of the animal - characteristic of the bronzes by Pierre-Jules Mène (1810-1879), one of the most important French animal sculptors of the 19th century. The dog is striding across a slightly moving ground covered with leaves and branches.

On the plinth we see the signature: P.J. MÈNE.
The figure has not been re-sculpted, the patina is an even deep brown with age-related golden-brown rubbing on the edges - particularly on the back and nose.

Interesting facts:
Pierre-Jules Mène was one of the leading French animal sculptors of the period around 1850-1880.
He spent many hours in the Jardin des Plantes, where he studied, made sketches and created small animal models. he first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1838 and quickly became popular. His sculpture Dog Strangling a Fox was the prelude to a long series of statuettes and groups in which the horse plays a central role - but hunting scenes, stags and deer, dogs, birds and poultry are also frequently represented.

Mène founded his own foundry as early as 1837, where he produced his own works (and later those of his son-in-law, the sculptor Auguste Cain). He supervised the casting and chiselling with great care.

Due to the continuing high demand, Auguste Cain continued to produce Mène's figures even after his death in 1879. in 1894, the foundry Susse acquired the rights to the models of both artists and continued their edition (these later casts bear the inscription "Susse Frères éditeurs, Paris" or similar variants).

Condition:
Very good, collectible condition with age-appropriate slight rubbing to the patina. No cracks, no missing parts. The bronze stands firmly on its original plinth.

Price: 1650,-€