Lion Crushing a Serpent

Antoine-Louis Barye, Lion Crushing a Serpent, ca. 1830s, cast bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Olin Dows, 1983.90.203
Copied Antoine-Louis Barye, Lion Crushing a Serpent, ca. 1830s, cast bronze, 7 x 8 x 3 3⁄4 in. (17.8 x 20.3 x 9.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Olin Dows, 1983.90.203
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Lion Crushing a Serpent
Artist
Date
ca. 1830s
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
7 x 8 x 3 3⁄4 in. (17.8 x 20.3 x 9.5 cm.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Olin Dows
Mediums
Mediums Description
cast bronze
Classifications
Subjects
  • Animal — reptile — snake
  • Animal — lion
Object Number
1983.90.203
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1983.90.203

Artwork Description

Antoine-Louis Barye created a life-size plaster cast of Lion écrasant un Serpent for the 1833 Paris Salon. The government commissioned a replica to place in the garden of the Tuileries, which caused a member of the Academy to comment: “Are the Gardens . . . to become a Menagerie?” This piece was one of Barye’s most popular animal sculptures, and he offered reproductions in two different sizes [see 1983.90.202].