Description
In line with the realism and anatomic perfection of Antoine-Louis Barye’s animal sculptures, this Java tiger eating a boar has a powerful expressiveness. It shows a striking resemblance to the ‘Tiger devouring a gharial’ of Barye exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1831.
Passionate about big cats as was his renowned predecessor, Paul Jouve presents his tiger in the same movement, the final stage of the hunt, when the predator lying down devours its prey.
This Tiger eating a boar was displayed in a half-sized version together with a Walking lion at the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in April 1914, where it was noted that they were carefully studied as regards anatomy and had an imposing presence.
It is a beautiful testimony of the deep friendship which bound Paul Jouve, Jean Goulden and their families.
A doctor of Medecine, Jean Goulden (1878-1946) was also a painter and decorator especially renowned for his beautiful enamels. He met Paul Jouve during the First World War in Macedonia where they were both stationed. The two artists drew what was around them. A ‘Caparisoned bullock’ for Jouve and Ruins for Goulden. Thanks to his personal wealth, Jean Goulden became the patron of the Dunan-Goulden-Jouve- Schmied Group. The sculpture was to be handed over to Goulden’s grand child after his death in 1973 and it remained in the family until its purchase by the gallery.
