ANTOINE-LOUIS BARYE (FRENCH, 1796-1875)

A rare and possibly rediscovered bronze modèle by the fondeur Gonon and his sons, Cerf attaqué par un lynx is believed to have been cast using the plaster model exhibited by Barye at the Salon in 1834. Evidenced by pinned casting joints and further inscription, the present lot was possibly used in the casting process for the fully edited and presumably unique work of the same title commissioned for the Duc d'Orléans, later presented to Alexandre Dumas and now in the collection of The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore (see Poletti & Richarme, 2000, p. 405, figs. 433-4).  Jean-Honoré Gonon’s (d. 1850) foundry specialized in fine sand casts of the Barye bronzes, though ultimately developed means to produce exceptional cire perdu casts like his contemporaries and was recognized as a master of the process.