Leopard Watching Serpent

Antoine-Louis Barye

1810–75 · Watercolor on wove paper · Drawings and Prints

Barye worked primarily as a sculptor of animal subjects but also produced highly finished watercolors based on studies he made during his regular visits to the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, often in the company of his friend Eugène Delacroix. There, he observed and sketched the live animals in the zoo as well as stuffed and skinned specimens in the natural history museum. He then imagined violent confrontations among species, such as this standoff between a leopard and a snake. The generic rocky landscape background that Barye invented for his composition betrays the captive context for his observation of the animals.

Artist

Antoine-Louis Barye

Date

1810–75

Medium

Watercolor on wove paper

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929