Sèvres Stoneware, 1904 — Walking Wolf, Charles Valton (1851–1918)

A sublime animal sculpturein natural-colored stoneware from the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, dated1904, depicting a wolf walking in the footsteps of a man inthe snow, with great restrained power and strikingrealism.
The beast advances cautiously, muzzle low and limbsoutstretched, captured in a movement marked by tension and silence.The material, rendered in delicate shades of honey and beige forthe animal and white for the base, accentuates the vitality of the modeling and theanatomical accuracy so dear to Charles Valton, the great master ofanimal sculpture of the late 19th century.

Piece signed on thebase: C. VALTON and dated 1895.
Intaglio mark of theManufacture Nationale de Sèvres, 1904

Dimensions:
Height:16.5 cm
Length: 31 cm
Depth: 9 cm

Excellent condition.

Comment:
Thiswork exemplifies the dialogue between naturalistic sculpture and Frenchceramic art in the late 19th century. Charles Valton,(Pau, 1851 – Chinon, 1918), a student of Barye and Frémiet,exhibitedat the Salon from 1868 through 1914. He received numerous medals, includinga third-class medal in 1875, a second-class medal in 1885, andgold medals at the World’s Fairs in 1889 and 1900.

collaboratedwith Sèvres to translate his animal models intostoneware, a noble and expressive material then in full swing.
The lifelikerendering of the coat, the controlled tension of the body, and the understateddecoration make this a work of rare modernity, at onceacademic and full of character.

A masterpieceof elegance and realism, typical of the craftsmanship ofSèvres and Valton’s sensitivity toward animals—a sculpturesought after by connoisseurs and collectors of animal art. ASèvres stoneware model was exhibited at the 1900 World’s Fair,under number 159.