Description
This composition is Barye's earliest freely rendered version of the subject (as opposed to a mechanical reproduction). The lion is more threatening than in other versions and raises its paw as it prepares to strike the snake.
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, 1886 [George A. Lucas as agent; he purchased two unspecified bronze models of Lion and Serpent from Montaignac on January 22, 1886 (Lucas Diary 2, 623)]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894, by inheritance; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Inscriptions
[Signature] Cast through from model: BARYE; [Number] Painted inside in white: W 8.
