Large Antique French Bronze Sculpture, Bellowing Stag, Doe, and Fawn, Late 1800s

This large French bronze sculpture depicts a family of deer traversing across a rocky terrain dotted with flowers. Sculpted in the late 1800s by Clovis-Edmond Masson, the sculpture has fantastic movement, as all three deer are depicted in full stride, with their hooves off the ground. The largest of the group is a stag with a wide antler spread and detailed musculature. To the stag’s left is a doe looking back towards a fawn, who is looking up at the stag. The sculpture has a rich, green-brown patination with areas that have retained the gold of the bronze. Behind the doe are two engravings: “C. Masson” and “Salon des Beaux-Arts”, indicating that the sculpture is the work of Clovis-Edmond Masson and was exhibited at the Paris Salon (the original).

Clovis-Edmond Masson was born in Paris in 1838 and specialized in sculptures that accurately depicted animal behavior. Masson exhibited at the Salon regularly from 1867-1881, placing this sculpture in that time frame. The most famous work by Masson was commissioned by Rama V, the King of Siam, in 1907, where Rama V is depicted in full military dress atop his horse. While another sculptor worked on the figure of Rama V, it was Masson who sculpted the 16+ foot tall horse. Jules-Edmond Masson, the son of Clovis, studied under his father and also became a well-respected animalier.

CONDITION: Very good antique condition. Fleabites and light rubs. Very light buildup. Signed “C. Masson” (Clovis Edmond Masson) and “Salon des Beaux-Arts” behind the doe.

H - 23 3/4, W - 23 1/2, D - 10 1/4