Antoine-Louis Barye

Overall the bronze is in excellent condition. There is some minor wear consistent with age.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Barye's student visits to the Paris zoo, the Jardin des Plantes, where he sketched the animals directly from nature, had a deep influence on his oeuvre. During the lean early years of his career Barye would arrive at the zoo as early as five o'clock in the morning. A sympathetic keeper, one Père Rouseau, let him in out-of-hours and even gave the hungry artist breakfast from the bears' provisions.

The dromedary, one of the animals that Barye included in his studies at the zoo, is the subject of four of the sculptor's models. It appears in full harness and mounted by an Arab nobleman, in what is often considered to be Barye's last figurative bronze, and also in two versions of the present model. The Dromadaire d'Algérie is an excellent example of the artist's intimate knowledge of animal anatomy and how to translate it into bronze. Barye first offered his Dromadaire d'Algérie in 1857. The present bronze is a very fine life-time cast.

RELATED LITERATURE
Poletti & Richarme (2000), nos. A136 (1) and (2), pp.276-278