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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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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.

National Gallery of Art · Sculpture

Ape Riding a Gnu

Antoine-Louis Barye

Date
model n.d., cast c. 1840/1873
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
overall: 23.5 × 26.35 × 10.16 cm (9 1/4 × 10 3/8 × 4 in.)
Classification
Sculpture · Small Bronze
Accession number
2015.19.3816
Credit line
Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase, 1873)
Time span
1826 to 1850
Department
CSD
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • French
  • mammal
  • animal
  • cast
  • European Small Bronzes before 1900
  • Gnu
  • Ape
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).

Inscription

on top of the base: BARYE

NGA object ID 195389. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.