Sculpture - Pan And The Bear Cubs , Emmanuelle Fremiet (1824–1910) - Bronze

An iconic work by sculptor Emmanuel Fremiet (created in 1864) , this bronze group with a brown patina , titled "Pan and the Bear Cubs", depicts a striking yet harmonious contrast between human anatomy and the animal kingdom , blending rigorous naturalism with mythological imagination .
Wearing a wreath of foliage and sporting two small , budding horns on his forehead , the young god "Pan" wears a mischievous yet focused smile , he holds a slender wand in his hand , with which he gently teases the bear cubs.
He is depicted lying on his stomach , his upper body raised and supported on his elbows , his lower body , of hybrid nature , ends in hairy goat thighs and hind legs that stretch elegantly toward the back of the composition .
At the other end of the terrace , the bear cubs are busy on the ground , they royally ignore the god "Pan" to focus on a beehive or a piece of honeycomb that they are greedily devouring .
Emmanuel Fremiet , a grand master of animal sculpture , demonstrates remarkable precision in his rendering of textures .
He contrasts the smooth , athletic skin of the adolescent’s torso with the dense , rough , and woolly texture of the goat’s legs and the cubs’ fur .
On the side of the rocky outcrop , just below the body of the god "Pan" , the artist’s signature , engraved in relief, "E.FRÉMIET", is clearly visible , as well as the foundry’s signature "F.BARBEDIENNE.Fondeur" on the back .
A rare antique sculpture dating from the second half of the 19th century .
In perfect condition with excellent patina .

Dimensions : 25.5 cm x 54 cm x 15.5 cm


Emmanuel Fremiet (1824–1910)

Emmanuel Fremiet was a French animal sculptor , born on December 6 , 1824 , in Montrouge .

A leading exponent of rationalist realism and even French naturalism in the second half of the 19th century .
He joined his uncle François Rude’s studio after attending evening classes .
The popular theme of the "Clash Between Man and Beast" inspired Emmanuel Fremiet and other artists .
He was elected a member of the Academy of Fine Arts in 1892 .
Emmanuel Femiet succeeded Antoine-Louis Barye (1795–1875) as professor of animal drawing at the Natural History Museum in Paris .
He became the official sculptor of the Third Republic .

Emmanuel Fremiet died in Paris on September 10 , 1910 .