After Jules Mêne

After PIERRE JULES MÊNE (Paris, 1810 - 1879).
"Dogs".
Patinated bronze.
With foundry stamp on the reverse.
With signature "P. J. Mêne" and dated 1863.
Antico green marble pedestal.
Measurements: 52 x 62 x 42,5 cm. with pedestal.

Bronze sculptural group representing four dogs of different breeds forming a pyramidal composition. Resolved in naturalistic language, the author is inspired by the animalistic pieces of Jules Mêne.

A disciple of René Compaire, Mêne worked mainly in bronze, specializing in hunting themes and equestrian groups. In fact, he is currently the most famous animalistic sculptor after Barye. He made his debut at the Paris Salon in 1832 and continued to show his works there until the same year of his death, obtaining 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 named Knight of the Legion of Honor. He is represented in the Museums of Fine Arts of 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 in Maryland, among many others.