Carried out in 1843, these bronze sculptures are characterised by two themes greatly appreciated by the Romantic painters; violence and drama.
Nicknamed the “Michelangelo of the menagerie” by Théophile Gautier, Antoine-Louis Barye studied the animals in the menageries of the Jardin des Plantes alongside Delacroix. He was skilled at representing particularly realist animal combats; notice the fine stripes of the feline’s fur in Panther Seizing a Stag, and the details of the Minotaur’s musculature. The composition of the sculpture Slaying the Minotaur, allows us to understand who will end up winning the fight.
Look at the hero’s posture; he is calm, upright, his feet solidly planted on the ground. His body is made up of straight lines. The swaying Minotaur is holding on to his enemy in order not to fall over. This feeling of disequilibrium is accentuated further by the numerous curves.
Although Antoine-Louis Barye was refused several times from the Salon, where the better-known artists from the Academy of Fine Arts exhibited their work, his reputation earned him a great number of commissions throughout his career.