A fine atelier casting of a male goat by Pierre Jules Mene, the work is crisply signed in the naturalistic base and exhibits the exceptional surface tooling we expect from his models. Rich and deep valleys of hair are expertly captured in the metal with a variation from nearly black patination to rubbed bronze hues in the relief. The wonderful texture and detail throughout is captured with fidelity from the original mold with only minimal cold-tooling required to develop the model's detail (for example, the rear legs of the figure). Note the use of Mene's early base format for this work.

Rare and most fine, this is a powerful model and an exquisite acquisition for the serious collector of Animalier works.

Artist Listings & Further Reading:

Pierre-Jules Mene: catalogue raisonné, Poletti & Richarme, 2007, p. 138
Bronzes of the 19th Century: A Dictionary of Artists, 1994, p. 474 [Mene's catalogue reproduced to show "Bouc No. 1" as no. 144 offered at 70 francs with dimensions of 20 cm height x 25 cm length]

Measurements: 7 5/8" H x 4" D x 9 7/8" W