Sleeping Lions

possibly 1830s

Antoine-Louis Barye

Associated Names
Antoine-Louis Barye

Artist, French, 1795 - 1875

The image shows two lions in a natural setting. One lion is lying on the ground, while the other is reclined on its back. Surrounding the lions are rocky terrain, sparse vegetation, and pale tree trunks. The lighting is soft, indicating either late in the day or early morning. The colors consist of rich browns, cool grays, and muted greens, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    watercolor on paper

  • Credit Line

    Corcoran Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 28.58 × 46.04 cm (11 1/4 × 18 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2014.136.207

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Barye's estate sale, Paris, February 1876, no. 154; (via George A. Lucas, Paris); purchased by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1876; acquired 2014 by National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1875

  • Catalogue des Oeuvres de Antoine-Louis Barye. École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1875, no. 448.

1889

  • Catalogue of the Works of Antoine-Louis Barye. American Art Galleries, New York, 1889, no. 507.

1962

  • French Master Drawings: Antoine Louis Barye and Major Landscapists of the Barbizon School. Fisher Gallery, University of Southern California, 1962, no. 6 (checklist).

1985

  • Millet and His Barbizon Contemporaries. Keil Department Store Grand Gallery, Tokyo; Hanshin Department Store Grand Gallery, Osaka; Mihazaki Prefectual Museum, Mihazaki; Fukushima Prefectural Museum, Fukushima; Yamanashi Prefectural Museum, Kofu., 1985.

1988

  • Antoine-Louis Barye: The Corcoran Collection. Sarah Campbell Blaffer Gallery, University of Houston; The Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, TN; The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; and Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, 1988-1990.

Bibliography

1875

  • Barye, Antoine-Louis, and A. Genevay. Catalogue des œuvres de Antoine-Louis Barye: exposées a l'École des beaux-arts. Paris, 1875, 108.

1889

  • Barye Monument Association of New York. Catalogue of the works of Antoine-Louis Barye exhibited at the American Art Galleries, 6 East 23 Street, New York, under the auspices of the Barye Monument Association; also of paintings by J.F. Millet, Th. Rousseau ... [et al.] ... his contemporaries and friends for the benefit of the Barye Monument Fund. New York, 1889, 59.

1954

  • Zieseniss, Charles-Otto. Les aquarelles de Barye; étude critique et catalogue raisonné. Paris, 1955, 61.

1962

  • Gus Fisher Gallery. French master drawings, Antoine Louis Barye: and Major Landscapists of the Barbizon school. Los Angeles, Calif, 1962, no. 6.

1985

  • Millet, Jean François, and Gabriel P. Weisberg. Millet and his Barbizon contemporaries: Exhibition.Tokyo, 1985, 129.

1988

  • Robinson, Lilien F., and Edward J. Nygren, Antoine-Louis Barye: The Corcoran Collection. Washington, 1988: 61-62, fig. 72 (chapter on Barye's watercolors by Martina Roudabush Norelli).

Inscriptions

center right in red watercolor: BARYE

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