Moigniez, Jules (French, 1835-1894)

Jules Moigniez was an important French sculptor, working mainly in bronze and specialising almost exclusively in animal sculptures, particularly birds. He made his debut at the Paris Salon in 1855 and would exhibit there thirty times before his death in 1894.

Moigniez was known especially for the fine detailing and expertly-applied patinas on his bronze works, and despite being based in Paris for his whole career, his work was hugely popular in England and Scotland. Over half of Moigniez's bronzes, many of them game birds, were sold in Britain in the second half of the 19th Century.