Antique Cold-Painted Bronze Lion Fighting a Snake, After Antoine-Louis Barye

An impressive and substantial Austrian cold-painted bronze animal sculpture, depicting a powerful lion fighting a snake, after the celebrated French animalier sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye (1795–1875). This highly decorative bronze lion sculpture captures the drama and movement associated with Barye’s famous animalier compositions. The muscular lion crouches over the serpent with its head lowered and jaws open, while the snake rises defensively from the naturalistically modelled rocky ground. Particularly attractive is the surviving cold-painted decoration, with rich brown tones to the lion, gilt and golden highlights throughout the mane, vivid green colouration to the snake and contrasting red and white details to the mouths and teeth. The naturalistic bronze terrain is signed “A. BARYE” and bears an applied circular “BRONZE AUSTRIA” plaque, identifying the sculpture as an Austrian bronze. The group is mounted on an elegant polished black marble base, giving the sculpture considerable presence. A striking example of an antique-style Austrian cold-painted bronze, combining the tradition of Vienna bronze animal sculptures with one of the best-known subjects associated with the great French animaler sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye. Its substantial weight, detailed casting, hand-painted surface and dramatic subject make it particularly suitable as a luxury desk sculpture, library ornament, mantel sculpture or collector’s animalier bronze.