Bronze Sculpture of a Stag and Doe - 19th Century

French 19th century bronze sculpture of a stag and doe. The piece is in perfect condition and has a lovely patina. It is signed by the well known sculptor Alfred Dubucand.

Alfred Dubucand (25 November 1828 – 1894) was a French animali sculptor who worked in the mid-to-late 19th century. His works were often entered in the annual Salon art exhibition in Paris where he contributed works over the course of his career.

Dubucand was born in Paris, France, on 25 November 1828. He was one of the prize pupils of Antoine-Louis Barye and made made his debut at the 1867 Salon with a wax model of a dead pheasant, a rather inauspicious start when considering the higher quality sculptures he would submit later in his career. He mainly modeled animal groups, producing a number of deer, dog, and horse sculptures. His better casts feature a warm, mid-brown patina and he sometimes gave his pieces even lighter shades bordering on a very light yellow - nearly the colour of the bronze metal itself. He frequently experimented with chemical patinas, learning the process from his teacher and mentor Barye who stretched the boundary with his now-famous dark green patinas.

Dubucand paid strict attention to the anatomical detail of his subjects, often being so concise that he actually showed the veins in the legs of his deer and elk sculptures. Realism was certainly one of his strong points as a sculptor of animals. His animals never appear "frozen" and he was able to portray each animal's natural movements and stances.

He created his original work in wax or clay and then would cast his pieces in bronze in what is called the lost wax casting method, although some of his work was completed using the sand casting method. Many of his orientalist sculptures feature North African scenes portraying Arab tribesmen and nomads on horses and camels. He died in 1894, the exact date is unknown.

Dimensions - 48 x 46 x 26 cms

Ref: 00857

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