Untitled (Group of Deer)

This grouping of deer by sculptor Antoine-Lois Barye (French) includes a buck, doe and fawn surrounding a partially cut tree. The buck is reaching up to the leaves of the tree, as the doe looks off in the distance, perhaps keeping watch for predators, while her fawn reaches underneath her to feed.

This sculpture was purchased from Eugene Glaenzer in 1906 and is signed “Barye.”

Antoine-Lois Barye was a sculptor of animals, or animaliér. The infamous sculptor Auguste Rodin once described Barye as “the master of masters who clug to nature with the force and tenacity of a god.” With a humble beginning, Barye began his career as a goldsmith. But it was during this time in the military that Barye realized he wanted to be an artist. During his service, Barye worked with engineers and learned how to draw. He worked under sculptor Francoise Joseph Bosio and painter Baron Antoine-Jean Gros before becoming an apprentice to Jacque Henri Fauconnier. After receiving a commission, Barye studied zoology and anatomy at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. He created a unique style of sculpture, capturing not just physical detail of the animal, but also its character and the struggle to survive. Most of his work depicts a life-and-death battle, capturing dramatic confrontations, often brutal in nature. Dissatisfied with the styles of sculpture imposed upon him, Barye developed a style all his own.

Photography by Kevin Miyazaki.