French school, modelled on PIERRE JULES MÊNE (Paris, 1810 - 1879).
"Hunter on horseback".
Sculpture in patinated bronze.
Signed "Pierre Jules Mêne" on the lower part.
Does not retain a sword. With restoration on the bugle.
Size: 95 x 124 x 43 cm.
This splendid sculpture is directly inspired by the bronze "Louis XV, hunter on horseback" by Pierre Jules Mêne, which shows the sovereign on the back of his horse, dressed in royal robes and holding a bugle in his hands. The author of our work, however, is more inspired by the American Wild West, depicting a male figure with a hat, bandana and boots on spurs, but also with a bugle. In both sculptures, the horse's laborious work stands out, captured with a precision, naturalism and expressiveness that denote not only mastery on the part of the sculptor, but also a careful study of nature.
A disciple of René Compaire, Mêne worked mainly in bronze, specialising in hunting subjects and equestrian groups. In fact, he is today the most famous animal sculptor after Barye. He made his debut at the Paris Salon in 1832 and continued to show his works there until the year of his death, winning a third class medal in 1855, a second class medal in 1878, and a first class medal in 1852 and 1861. In 1861 he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour. He is represented in the Museums of Fine Arts in La Rochelle, Agen, Béziers, Dijon and Rouen, in the Palace of Fontainebleau and in the Louvre, Carnavalet and Decorative Arts Museums in Paris, the Courtauld Institute in London, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Walters Museum in Maryland, among many others.