Panther and Cubs

Edward Kemeys

ca. 1878; cast 1907 · Bronze · The American Wing

Kemeys was America’s first animalier (animal sculptor) of significance. His works were inspired by the untamed beasts he observed during frequent trips to the mountains and plains of the American West from the 1870s to the 1890s. He favored the American panther, depicting the animal in varied emotional states, from fierce combativeness to the maternal tenderness exemplified in this group. The surface treatment of the bronze reflects Kemeys’s concern, first, for psychological expression and, second, for anatomical correctness. The cats’ coats are loosely modeled, while the longer fur of the mother’s chest and hindquarters is rendered in broad strokes.

Artist

Edward Kemeys

Date

ca. 1878; cast 1907

Medium

Bronze

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1907