Antoine Louis Barye

Happy Birthday Antoine Louis Barye!! French sculptor, born in 1795, Barye was known for his animal sculptures.  He began as a goldsmith in the Romantic period, but then realized his fascination with animals and began to sketch them. Eventually he turned to sculpture, sculpting large sculpture as well as those on a small scale. A prime example of his larger work is the enormous relief: Lion of the Column July which was cast in bronze from a plaster model in 1839. It commemorates the 504 citizens who fell in the revolution 100 years earlier. The Lion is a representation of the astrological sign Leo, symbolizing strength. It is situated at the base of the July Column at the Place de la Bastille, Paris.