Ape Riding a Gnu

Description In this amusing sculpture, Barye parodies the tradition of the equestrian monument. An ape from Sumatra, Indonesia, named Jack rides on the back of an African antelope with buffalo-like antlers-a gnu or wildebeest. Jack arrived at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris in 1836 and survived for less than eight months. After taxidermy, its body became a popular sight for visitors to the Jardin's natural history museum. The composition is based on an engraving of the same subject by Thomas Landseer (1795-1880).

Exhibitions

• The Works of Antoine-Louis Barye. American Art Gallery (New York), New York. 1889-1890.
• Untamed: The Art of Antoine-Louis Barye. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa; The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, Palm Beach. 2007-2008.

Provenance William T. Walters, Baltimore, prior to 1889; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894, by inheritance; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Inscriptions [Signature] Cast through from model: BARYE; [Number] Cold stamped on underside: 50; [Number] Cold stamped on top: 27; [Number] Painted inside in white letters: W 106

Credit Acquired by William T. Walters, before 1889