Sculptural group; France, c. 1880.

Sculptural group; France, c. 1880.
"Amalthean Goat with Faun".
Patinated and partially gilded bronze on wooden base.
Signed.
Measurements: 24 x 25 x 13.
In this sculpture the author presents us with an image very much to the taste of the time, a Bacchic theme in which the god of wine is represented as a classic "putto", a child of plump forms, next to a goat, in an unstable position. Formally, the enormous dynamism of the composition stands out, as well as the careful detail of the modeling both in the anatomy of the child and the animal and in the different qualities of the goat's fur and other details, which show the mastery of the author. Jupiter was raised along with other mythological beings by the goat Amalthea, this being gave him all the necessary care for Jupiter to become a strong and healthy man in the future. The future king of Olympus was indebted to the creature, so he gave him a solid gold dog to make the goat's abode safer.

The quality of the Indian work possibly belongs to the Barbedienne foundation. The F. Barbedienne foundry was founded in Paris in 1838 by Ferdinand Barbedienne and Achille Collas, the latter inventor of a machine to mechanically reduce the size of sculptures. At first they were dedicated to the production of bronze reproductions of sculptures from Roman and Greek antiquity, such as the one presented here. Their first contract to publish works created by a living artist was signed in 1843, with the sculptor François Rude. During the following years, after surviving the economic collapse of 1848, the Barbedienne house signed contracts with many of the sculptors active in Paris at the time, including David d'Angers, Jean-Baptiste Clesinger, Antoine Louis Barye and others.