Antique French Bronze Sculpture "Lion Cub of Atlas" by Victor Peter & Susse Freres

Description

A silky and sensitive model of Lionceau de l'Atlas, it features a fine overall surface with wonderful texture and detail, … more A silky and sensitive model of Lionceau de l'Atlas, it features a fine overall surface with wonderful texture and detail, the surface finished in a dark brown overall patination and sealed under wax. It was cast by the house of Susse, sealed with their cachet along the upper edge of the base along with cold-stamped "M". The work is titled along the edge of the base and is signed "V. PETER".

ARTIST
Born in Paris, France in December of 1840, Victor Peter studied under François Théodore Delvaux and Charles Vital-Cornu, working for a period of time as a craftsman in the studio of Alexandre Falguière. He also worked as a practitioner for Dubois, Mercié and Rodin. He was recognized as a very highly skilled carver and Rodin would eventually ask Peter to carve some of his most important marble sculptures. His emphasis was on animal subjects, a theme he specialized in, but he also became widely known for his medallion portraits. Several of these contemporary portraits are held in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum.

Making his debut at the Salon des Artistes Français with busts and medallions in 1868, he showed Animalier bronzes and bas-reliefs in 1873, a theme he continued with for the rest of his career. He was awarded a third-class medal in 1879, achieved a bronze medal in the Exposition Universelle of 1889, a second-class medal in 1898 and the ultimate prize of a gold medal in the 1900 Exposition Universelle. The same year he was made a Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur. He died in Paris on March 29th of 1918.

Artist Listings & Bibliography:

E. Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Vol. X, Gründ, 2006, p. 1235
Bronzes of the Nineteenth Century: A Dictionary of Sculptors, Kjellberg, 1994, p. 538-39
Animals in Bronze, Christopher Payne, 1986, p. 416

Measurements: 7 1/2" H x 5" D x 11 1/2" W less