Candlestick with Volubilis, Roots, and Fawn's Feet with a Serpent about the Stem

model n.d., cast c. 1845/1874

Antoine-Louis Barye

Associated Names
Antoine-Louis Barye

Sculptor, French, 1795 - 1875

The sculpture is a tall, slender candlestick featuring a decorative theme. The main subject of the sculpture is a vertical pole adorned with a snake coiling around it. The snake is intricately detailed, and its body wraps around the pole. At the top of the sculpture is a cup-like holder designed to hold a candle. The base of the sculpture resembles a leafy plant or animal paw, providing a sturdy foundation. The sculpture is crafted from a material that appears to be a copper alloy, giving it an aged, green patina with visible oxidation. Overall, the sculpture stands upright, commanding attention with its height and the intricate, nature-inspired details.

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Purchased 1874 from the artist by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington;[1] acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art.
[1] The sculpture is one of 116 bronzes acquired in two groups directly from the artist, one in 1873 and the other in 1874. According to the Register of Bronzes Etc. Belonging to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the group acquired in 1874 was ordered for the Corcoran by William T. Walters (1819-1894), the prominent Baltimore collector and a Corcoran trustee, through George A. Lucas (1824-1909), an American-born dealer living in Paris. (See: "Register of Bronzes Etc. Belonging to the Corcoran Gallery of Art," 1873-1946, Record Group 5.1 [COR.0005.1.RG], Gallery registrar's office records, 1869-2007, Series 1: Accessions 1869- [inclusive], Special Collections Research Center, George Washington University Libraries, Washington, DC; accessed on-line 30 November 2016: https://archive.org/details/corc_registerofbronzes).

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1978

  • Antoine Louis Barye: A Selection of Bronzes from the Permanent Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 5 July - 10 September 1978.

Bibliography

2000

  • Poletti, Michel, and Alain Richarme. Barye: catalogue raisonné des sculptures. Paris, 2000: 380, under D13.

Wikidata ID

Q63863699

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