United Kingdom Animal Sculptures

A delightful and stylish mid-century Danish Royal Copenhagen porcelain lying bear figure by renowned artist Knud Kyhn (Danish, 1880-1969) and dating from around 1950. The lying bear ...

Carrying import marks for Chester in 1903 by Berthold Muller, this charming, Antique Sterling Silver Model of a Pig, is wonderfully modelled, and features a removable head. The pig m...

This is a heavy vintage bloodhound ornament. An American, bronze and marble figural dog sculpture by Grace Mott Johnson, dating to the mid 20th c...

A scarce, large and impressive porcelain sculpture of an owl almost certainly made by Ernst Bohne & Sohne in Rudolstadt in Volkstedt, Thuringia, Germany, c. 1880. The sculpture depi...

This is a large antique Marly horse figure. A French, bronze and brass equine statue in the manner of Guillaume Coustou (1677-1746), dating to the late...

A fine pair of 19th century Black Forest Walnut game plaques attributed to Johans Fluck of Brienz One plaque varied with a chamois and a pheasant and the other a stag and pheasant. ...

Turquoise Blue Hand Ceramic Abstract Horse Sculpture Decorative Ancient Pixiu Glazed Home Decor In tradition Anahita, the Persian goddess associated with water, fertility, and wisd...

A large Arts and Crafts patinated copper owl garden sculpture, made in England c. 1900. The owl is stylistically modelled with hypnotic eyes and a quizzical expression. The feather...

Large Weathered Cast Iron Standing Statue of a Hunting Dog A very handsome Chap, he is standing and he is fully 3 dimensional and looks good from all sides Our faithful hound is loo...

"Taureau Debout" by Rosa Bonheur. An excellent late 19th Century French animalier bronze study of a standing bull with fine hand chased surface that accentuates the muscle definition of the subject, signed Rosa B. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Measures: Width: 32 cm Height: 18 cm Depth: 11cm Condition: Excellent Original Condition Circa: 1870 Materials: Bronze Book reference: Animals in Bronze by Christopher Payne Page no. 174 DESCRIPTION Bonheur, Rosa (1822-1899) The most popular artist of nineteenth-century France, Rosa Bonheur was also one of the first renowned painters of animals and the first woman awarded the Grand Cross by the French Legion of Honor. A professional artist with a successful career, Bonheur lived in two consecutive committed relationships with women. Born on March 16, 1822 in Bordeaux, Marie Rosalie Bonheur was the oldest of the four children of Raimond Oscar Bonheur (1796-1849) and Sophie Marquis. Bonheur's father was an art teacher who came from a poor family, while her mother, a musician, had descended from a middle-class family and had been her husband's art student. Bonheur's father, who taught drawing and landscape painting, was an ardent member of the utopian Saint Simeon society. The group held idealistic beliefs about the reform of work, property, marriage, and the role of women in society. Most importantly, for the artist's future, the Saint Simeons questioned traditional gender norms and firmly believed in the equality of women. While teaching artistic techniques to his oldest daughter, Raimond Bonheur also encouraged her independence and taught her to consider art as a career. In 1828 Raimond Bonheur joined the Saint Simeons at their retreat outside Paris. Sophie and the children joined him in Paris the following year. Four years later, however, Raimond abandoned his family to live in isolation with his fellow Saint Simeons. Sophie Bonheur died in 1833 at the age of thirty-six. Rosa was only eleven years old when her mother died, but she was aware of the heavy price her mother paid for married life with a man who was more dedicated to his own ideals than to meeting his family's needs. Rosa also saw that her mother's marriage led to poverty and her death from exhaustion. After her mother's death, Bonheur was taken in by the Micas family who resided nearby. Mme Micas and Bonheur's mother had been friends. When Mme Bonheur died, the Micas family paid Raimond Bonheur's debts and cared for Rosa. Their daughther, Nathalie, who would later become an amateur inventor and unschooled veterinarian, and Rosa became enamored with each other. When Rosa Bonheur began her career as a professional artist, she had already been trained by her father who had allowed her to study in all male classes. Rosa also learned by sketching masterworks at the Louvre from the age of fourteen, and later, by studying with Léon Cogniet. From the very beginning, Bonheur's favorite subject was animals. She learned their anatomy completely by dissecting them in local slaughterhouses. She also visited the horse market two times a week. Study of animals by direct observation led to the formation of the realist style in which Bonheur worked. It was for such work that Bonheur obtained written permission from the French government to wear men's slacks. Her working attire also consisted of a loose smock and heavy boots that protected her feet from the dangerous environment in which she painted. The style of dress that the artist adopted for work and home may well have been influenced by her father's attire, which was based on St. Simeonian clothing experiments. Bonheur also cropped her hair, perhaps to facilitate her work. She did, however, always wear dresses for social occasions because she knew that appropriate dress would further her career. Bonheur earned a successful living as a painter of animals. She exhibited at the annual Paris Salon regularly from the age of nineteen in 1841 through 1853, when she was thirty-one. She won the salon's gold medal at the age of twenty-six in 1848 and was commissioned by the French government to paint Plowing on the Nivernais in 1849. In the same year Bonheur and her sister Juliette became directors of l'École gratuite de dessin pour les jeunes filles, a post their father had once held. Bonheur completed her most renowned work, The Horse Fair, in 1855. The successful representation of percherons (a breed native to Normandy) was purchased by Ernest Gambart, a London art dealer whose gallery specialized in work by French artists. He exhibited The Horse Fair in London where Bonheur visited with Nathalie. Queen Victoria requested a private viewing of the painting at Windsor Castle. It would later be purchased in 1887 by Cornelius Vanderbilt and donated to the new Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Bonheur's trip to England allowed her to meet Charles Eastlake, then President of the Royal Academy, John Ruskin, the English writer and critic, and Edwin Landseer, the British animalier. She also toured the English and Scottish countrysides and executed some paintings based on her observations of new breeds of animals found there. Gambart made engravings of Bonheur's work, including The Horse Fair, and sold them in England, Europe, and the United States. Bonheur became one of the most renowned painters of the time. Little girls, such as Anna Klumpke in the United States, even had dolls in her likeness, much as American girls played with Shirley Temple dolls...

An early 19th century English carved mahogany sculpture of a griffin, circa 1820; one of two similar we have for sale. This piece is prominently in the style of the late 18th/early ...

Guillaume Coustou is best known for his two pieces of marble sculpture, each called Horse restrained by a Groom (1739-45, Louvre Museum, Paris), known jointly as the Marly Horses. ...

A finely patinated French antique bronze by Ferdinand Barbedienne portraying a a young boy caressing a large goose. The figure is mounted on an a...

A very fine early 20th Century cold painted Austrian bronze study of a standing cockatoo with superb naturalistic colour and excellent hand chased surface detail, signed with the Ber...

“Wild Things” Animal Masks by James Perkins 20th Century Mixed media: fur, feathers, resin, textile; wearable sculpture Commissioned and crafted for Pa...

Vintage ceramic horse by Bruno Gambone, (circa 1970s). A charming, sizeable ceramic parade horse with groomed mane and tail in Gambone's signature chalk-white glaze. Light brown figu...

Sporting a 'Dutch Cut' to his coat, this adorable ceramic poodle stands tall and proud Collar and feet are gilded, the glaze is a delicious toffee caramel colour and the eyes are pin...

A fine quality vintage Danish porcelain model of seated Siamese cat by renowned and sought after makers Royal Copenhagen and dating from around 1980. The large, seated cat is beautif...

Silver and onyx horse racing sculpture by Mappin and Webb English, 1935 Height 39cm, width 62cm, depth 33cm Commissioned by H.H. Maharaja of Ra...

A stylish Art Deco wrought iron snake desk weight in the brutalist style by renowned ironworker and designer Edgar William Brandt (French, 1880 – 1960) and ...

Italian silver, rose quartz and malachite model of an eagle by Cervone Italian, c. 1970 Height 71cm, width 53cm, depth 32cm This Italian silver sculpture...

This charming antique Black Forest inkstand dates from circa 1880. Beautifully modelled, hand carved from linden wood, with mother and baby bear on a naturalistically carved rocky outcrop. The inkwells are in the form of a pair of tree trunks with fluted glass wells with carved lids and a useful pen tray in front. Condition: In excellent condition. As an antique item, it shows signs of use commensurate with age, these minor condition issues are mentioned for accuracy and, as seen in the accompanying photographs, the inkstand displays beautifully. Dimensions in cm: Height 15 cm x Width 23 cm x Depth 14 cm Dimensions in inches: Height 6 inches x Width 9 inches x Depth 5 inches History of Black Forest Carving The idea behind the success of Brienz wood carving was quite simple. After a disastrous famine in 1816 in the Brienz area people were forced to find new areas of revenues. Driven by the need to create jobs in the Bernese Oberland, an economically underdeveloped region, the Swiss government encouraged the existing resource of timber industry to liaise with the traditional wooden craftsmanship. It took some time to improve from home requirements to sophisticated designed arts but the process was supported by the rising amount of tourists visiting the region. Christian Fischer and other founders Christian Fischer (1790-1848) started self-taught from simple turneries (carved bowls and other articles of daily use) to unsophisticated regional animals and people. Due to his success and the interest of the tourists, other carvers started also following his idea of carving the pristine naturalism. The Swiss government supported these start-ups with additional training of apprentices at special trade school. Brienz School of Wood Carving In 1884 the "School of Wood Carving, Brienz" was founded. It became an important educational institution to strengthen and develop the artistic backgrounds and exhibit an area of creativity. During the years of war in the 20th century, the demand for wooden sculptures came to rest and led to the re-orientation in areas such as toys and carvings for constructions. Beyond that the Brienz wood carving articles had to face an enormous competition from abroad. The School of Wood Carving had to get through difficult economic times but in the late 1970s wood carving enjoyed a renaissance. A lot of young people searched for elemental jobs and added a new value to school education. Today Brienz School of Wood Carving is combined with the education of turner, basket makers and coopers. The school still claims high-quality standards and follows old principles with regard to future perspectives. Wild animals At all times wild animals fascinate people. The highland around Brienz has large variety of different wild animals. Bears are among the most popular models for carvers. On the one hand bears are easy to cut and on the other hand they have a strong symbolized image. The enthusiasm for bears in art...

A very jolly selection of Late 19th early 20th Century four Japanese Imari porcelain pigs. Each featuring a very striking and decorative enameled, hand painted Imari style floral mo...

This is an impressive pair of dogs in the timeless Art Deco style, sitting attentively and awaiting the command of their master and dating from the mid 20th Century. This high quali...

Large antique bronze study of a nude male on horseback having an unconscious man draped across the horse's back, the naturalistic bronze base raised on a marble plinth base, signed t...

Very fine mid-19th century French Animalier bronze study of a standing Setter with excellent hand chased surface detail and rich brown patination. Raised on a stepped naturalistic base, signed J Moigniez. Additional information: Height: 19 cm Width: 34 cm Condition: excellent original condition Circa: 1870 Materials: bronze Book reference: Les Animaliers by Jane Horswell Page no. 237 About Jules Moigniez (French, 1835 ~ 1894) Moigniez was a French animalier sculptor of the 19th century. He worked primarily in bronze and frequently exhibited his sculptures at the Paris salon. He was best known for his bronzes depicting birds, although his skill and versatility enabled him to produce quality horse sculptures (primarily racehorses), dog sculptures and hunting scenes. His bird sculptures were among the finest ever created in his time. Moigniez was born at Senlis, Oise, France in 1835, the son of a metal gilder. Moigniez’s father bought a foundry to cast his sculptures, which was of great benefit to Moigniez as he didn’t have the added foundry costs that most of his contemporaries had to pay. Moigniez studied sculpture under the tutelage of Paul Comoléra (a student of François Rude) in Paris. It is quite likely that Moigniez’s attraction to bird sculpture was a direct result of his education under Comoléra, who was himself a bird specialist. Over the course of his 40-year sculpting career Moigniez exhibited thirty works at the Salon between 1855–92. His first submission in a major art exhibition was his plaster, Pointer Stopping at a Pheasant, at the Exposition Universelle of 1855.[1][2] Moigniez was known for the fine detail and chiseling of his sculptures. His bronzes—usually cast using the lost wax method—were always immaculately chased and patinated, and were especially popular in England and Scotland.[2] More than half of his output during his lifetime was sold in the United Kingdom. By the end of the 19th century, his sculpture had become popular in the United States as well. In contrast with other animaliers of the period such are P.J. Mêne and Antoine-Louis Barye, Moigniez’s bird sculptures often incorporated highly detailed bases complete with bushes, extensive foliage and undergrowth. His castings were generally of excellent quality with a variety of patinas, the gilded and silvered patinas being the most desirable and sought after by collectors. His bronzes could be reproached for an excess of detail, a result of overly-finicky, over-worked chiseling. Moigniez received redemption, however, by portraying in his sculpture a certain “elegance of attitudes”. His Chien braque...

An antique carved sandstone head of a lion, mounted to a custom steel display stand. This interesting looking lion dates back hundreds of years to the Stuart period in the 1600s - a ...

Gorgeous pair of lifesize bronze cranes This is a fountain, water will spurt out of their beaks if hooked up to a water supply = great in a pond Of course being bronze these can live...

This is an antique butcher's shop display figure. An English, plasterwork commercial advertising pig in uniform on marble plinth, dating to the Edwardian period and later, circa 1910. Wonderful British retail history with this charming shop window figure Displays a desirable aged patina in good historic order, commensurate with use Quality plasterwork with hand-painted finish and excellent anthropomorphic form Presented upon a cool, tactile Carrara Marble plinth base...

A sculpture titled the ‘Rolling Horse’ by the acclaimed British sculptor, John W. Mills, signed twice to the tail. Representing Mill's equestrian art collection, this bronzed resin ...

This superb pair of Grand Tour Italian gilt bronzes dates to the late 19th century. They are solid cast and very heavy for their size. They are decorative Grand Tour reproductions ta...

"Glass Snake" by Lalique Glass A wonderful limited edition 21st Century French deep purple crystal glass study of a coiled snake with its head raised, wit...

Early 20th century large Chinese cloisonne enamel elephant on stand circa 1900. A real rare decorative piece. Profusely enamelled, modelled carrying a saddle and flaming finial.  I...

A 20th Century pair of English stone lions, made around the 1970. Majestically carved in a resting position. CONDITION In Overall Good Vintage Condition - Please refer to photograp...

We are delighted to offer for sale this absolutely sublime very rare and original 1930’s Liberty’s London Omersa brown leather land dyed infant Hippo stool or footstool with original glass eyes. These come in varying sizes, this is the small sized infant, I have the matching medium sized male and female listed under my other items, I also have the extra large bench...

This 30cm tall ceramic tiger imported in the 1970s from Alcobaca, Portugal, a city famous for its ceramics. This little tiger has a fearful pose bigger than its height! Expertly mo...

FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING ART NOUVEAU CIRCA 1890 From our Bronze Sculpture collection, we’re pleased to offer this patinated bronze figure of a vulture and skull by Bohuslav Schnirch...

Vintage Italian travertine zoomorphic sculpture and card or letter holder by Mannelli Bros (circa 1970s). Designed by Italian brothers, Fratelli Mannelli, this charming piece has loa...

Kindred to a carousel galloper, a distinguished and elegant mahogany Italian horses head on pedestal Collectible piece of object d'art for the equine devotee Circa 1960's Height 14 i...

MID CENTURY MAJOLICA SAUSAGE DOG STATUE FIGURE Black, tan and white piebald coat glazed pottery dog. Expertly modelled with a signature cheeky little face emblematic of the breed. ...

Pair of Silver-Plated Peacock Figurines Hollywood Regency Style, Vintage Luxury 32cm A striking pair of silver-plated peacock sculptures, masterfully handcrafted in the classic Holly...

Early Bayol Carousel Galloper. From the famous workshop of Bayol, 215 bis Rue de Paris (now Pasteur), Angers. This is an original first period (1895-1909) galloper sculpted by Bayol ...

A Case of Taxidermy Birds by Roland Ward. Additional information: Dimension: Height: 85 cm, 33 1/2″ Width: 104 cm, 41″ Depth: 30 cm, 11 3/4″

Modern Italian Murano attributed hollow blown glass turtle dating from the latter 20th century. The turtle has an amber glass body with a molded scale pat...

Boucherie Chevaline Trade Sign A hand crafted Boucherie Chevaline, zinc gold leaf hand beaten butchers trade sign. A highly decorative wall hanging in untouched condition with or...

A Pair of Black Forest Carved Figures in the form of Ibex and Chamois This late 19th century Black Forest pair of finely carved linden wood figure...

This is the superb and rare catalogue which was produced by Sotheby's for the sale of the collection of husband and wife Claude & Francois-Xavier Lalanne. 568 pages with 274 lots for...

An exquisite and very rare small bronze figure of a dog, a male dachshund. France, 19th century. A highly desirable and sought after addition to any collection. Why We Like It This...

Italian glazed ceramic pitcher in seagull form by Bruno Gambone (circa 1970s). A very rare Bruno Gambone piece never before encountered by this gallery...

Braying Bronze Stag By C. Valton. A bronze 10 point stag modelled on a naturalistic base, bellowing, lovely brown patina, base inscribed 'C.VALTON' from the second half of the 19th o...

A pair of resting bronze lions on shaped walnut painted plinths modeled on the original marble sculpture by Antonio Canova. Reduction from the originals created by Antonio C...

A very large antique Victorian brass lobster-form box. English, Late 19th Century. Measures: Height 34cm, width 91cm, depth 41cm. This exceptional piece is a remarkably large brass box...

Christian Thomsen for Royal Copenhagen porcelain foraging cockerel figurine. Created in 1923, a classic collectible piece Signed and Numbered 1127 circa 1923 Measures: height 4 ...

A large rhinoceros sculpture crafted around the late 1980s, in England, This sculptural piece of animalia, showcases a more simplified and stylized form of the rhinoceros, with a s...

Hallmarked in London in 1976 by Garrard & Co., this stunning Elizabeth II, Sterling Silver Model of a Stag, is realistically cast and chased, and stands on a marble base. The stag mo...

An outstanding deep black crytal glass study of a horse gently drinking from a water's surface, raised on a polished black glass plinth, signed Lalique France and numbered from the l...

Wer are delighted to offer this exceptionally rare pair of King James 1st 1615 English Heraldic Lion Newel Finials with period Polychrome paint Where ...

This is only the second time in many years of being in the antiques business that I have come across this wonderful figural equestrian inkwell. B...

A large Black Forest walnut wooden carving of an eagle, perched on a fall of rocks, crouching down with wings outspread and the head turned to the left...

Large Joan de Bethel papier-mache, glass eyed, cat made in Rye Sussex July 1977