Collection Online
Lion attacking a horse

Lion attacking a horse
(Cheval surpris par un lion)
(c. 1857); cast (1857-1858)

Medium
bronze
Measurements
40.8 × 37.6 × 15.4 cm (overall)
Place/s of Execution
France
Inscription
cast in base l.r.: BARYE
Accession Number
3556-D3
Department
International Sculpture
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1934
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited
Gallery location
17th to 18th Century European Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work

On his debut at the Paris Salon in 1831, Antoine-Louis Barye made an astonishing impact with a monumental sculpture depicting a tiger devouring a crocodile. Before this moment, animal subjects had not been well received at the Salon, but Barye’s brilliant technique, realistic detail and startlingly dramatic narrative captured the imagination of critics and the public alike. Barye’s dramatic interpretations of sometimes violent themes made him one of the most prominent sculptors of the Romantic movement in France.