Bronze Sculpture Of A Greyhound And A King Charles Spaniel, Signed By Pierre Jules Mene

A bronze group with a nuanced brown patina depicting a greyhound and a King Charles Spaniel by the sculptor Pierre Jules Mene (1810–1879). This group brings together on the same terrace the greyhound holding a fan, named “Plock,” and the King Charles Spaniel, which serves as its counterpart. Plock is one of only two known portraits of male greyhounds created by O.J. Mène, who rarely depicted this breed. The King Charles Spaniel is a small dog that was particularly favored by King Charles II of England, to whom it owes its name.
Pierre Jules Mène was a French sculptor considered one of the leading figures in 19th-century animal sculpture, alongside Antoine Louis Barye, Auguste Cain, and others. P.J. Mène specialized in small-scale bronze sculptures; as the exclusive publisher of these works, the perfection of his creations is widely recognized.