'The Arab Falconer' large painted bronze sculpture after Mêne

This superb sculpture is after Pierre-Jules Mêne (French, 1810-1879). Mêne is considered a pioneer of animal sculptures in the 19th century and the leading animalier.  The sculpture in Mayfair Gallery’s collection is known as ‘The Arab Falconer on Horseback’, or ‘Fauconnier arabe à cheval’.

The piece portrays an Arab man on horseback dressed in Orientalist style clothing rendered in shades of green and red. The falconer pulls the horse’s reins, one of his hands raised trying to recapture the falcon. The horse is brilliantly depicted in a very animate and active pose. Both, the falconer, and the horse are placed atop a bronze base cast to depict a rocky ground.

All parts of this sculpture are magnificently cast. The finest of details, such as the horse’s anatomical features or the creases in the falconer’s garments are brilliantly depicted. The bronze is patinated as well as painted giving the antique a superb finish.

The base is signed ‘P.J. MÊNE’.

The Orientalist subject, high quality, as well as the pairing of two types of surface finishes, make this bronze sculpture an excellent addition to one’s sculpture collection.