Sèvres Stoneware, 1932 - Walking Wolf, Charles Valton (1851-1918)

Expressive animal sculpturein natural stoneware from the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, dated1932, depicting a walking wolf following in man's footsteps,of great restrained strength and striking realism.cautiously, snout low and limbs outstretched, captured in a movementThe beast advances cautiously, snout low and limbs tense, captured in a movement imbued with tension and silence. The material, treatedin delicate shades of honey and beige, accentuates the life of the modellingand anatomical accuracy so dear to Charles Valton, the great masterof late XIXᵉ century animal sculpture.

Piece signed on theterrace: C. VALTON and dated 1895.
Embossed stamp of theManufacture Nationale de Sèvres with the words:
S/ SÈVRES / MANUFACTURE NATIONALE / FRANCE F , for 1932

Dimensions:
Height:16 cm
Length: 31 cm
Depth: 9 cm

Excellent condition.condition.

Commentary:
Thistestifies to the dialogue between naturalistic sculpture and FrenchFrench ceramic art at the end of the XIXᵉ century. Charles Valton,(Pau, 1851 - Chinon, 1918) , pupil of Barye and Frémiet,Exhibitionat the Salon from 1868 to 1914. Numerous medalsthird-class in 1875, second-class in 1885, gold medalsgold medals at Exposition Universelle in 1889 and 1900.

Collaborated on a number of projects, including

collaboratedwith Sèvres to transpose his animal models in stonewarestoneware, a noble and expressive material then in full bloom.
The lively rendering of the coatof the coat, the controlled tension of the body and the sobriety of theand the sobriety of the decoration make this a piece of rare modernity, at once academicacademic yet full of character.

A masterpieceof elegance and realism, typical of Sèvres craftsmanshipValton's animal sensibility - a sculpture sought after bysought after by animal art enthusiasts and collectors. Amodel in Sèvres stoneware was exhibited at the1900, under number 159.