Ape Riding a Gnu

model n.d., cast c. 1840/1873

Antoine-Louis Barye

Associated Names
Antoine-Louis Barye

Sculptor, French, 1795 - 1875

The sculpture depicts a male figure riding a bull. The male figure looks strong and in control, holding onto the bull as it charges forward with one leg raised. The sculpture is made of bronze, with patinas and variations in tone highlighting muscle definition on both the rider and the bull. The surface of the sculpture is detailed with visible musculature on both subjects, adding to the sense of movement and power. The pose and details make the sculpture appear lifelike and energetic, despite being static. The sculpture is mounted on a textured base mimicking rough terrain.

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Purchased 1873 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 1873 was selected for the Corcoran by William T. Walters, the prominent Baltimore collector and a Corcoran trustee, "in company with Barye." (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.

1988

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

Bibliography

2000

  • Poletti, Michel, and Alain Richarme. Barye: catalogue raisonné des sculptures. Paris, 2000: 121, under A1.

Inscriptions

on top of the base: BARYE

Wikidata ID

Q63863714

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