Pierre Jules Mêne French Bronze Cast Falconer Study Reflecting 19th Century Artistic Interest in the Middle East

Pierre Jules Mene

Non-Paper Memorabilia

Mêne, Pierre Jules. Arabian Falconer, nineteenth century model later cast by Susse Frères, documents the intersection of the French animalier sculpture movement and nineteenth-century European artistic engagement with Middle Eastern subjects. Mêne, recognized as a leading figure in the animalier tradition, produced detailed studies of animals and equestrian forms that circulated widely among collectors and contributed to the popularization of small-scale bronze sculpture. The falconer motif situates the work within a broader context of Orientalist representation, in which European artists depicted Arab equestrian practices, falconry, and desert life as part of a visual vocabulary shaped by travel literature, colonial expansion, and ethnographic curiosity. The sculpture supports research into nineteenth-century European sculpture, animalier aesthetics, and the visual construction of the Middle East in Western art.

Mêne, Pierre Jules. Arabian Falconer. Paris: Susse Frères, nineteenth century cast after original model. Bronze sculpture signed “P.J. MÊNE” on base, mounted on a green marble plinth. The composition depicts a mounted falconer seated on an Arabian horse, head turned upward toward a falcon perched on his right hand. Measures approximately 12" in height, 11" in length, and 7" in width; marble base approximately 11" by 6". Finished with a traditional brown and green patina. The modeling emphasizes anatomical precision in the horse and careful detailing of tack and costume, consistent with Mêne’s established approach to animal and equestrian subjects.

Following Mêne’s death in 1879, his models continued to be cast by Susse Frères, one of the principal French foundries responsible for disseminating nineteenth-century sculptural works to a broader market. The continued production of his models reflects sustained demand for animalier bronzes and the enduring appeal of equestrian themes within European decorative arts. Falconry, historically associated with elite hunting practices across the Middle East and North Africa, became a recurring subject in Orientalist art, linking the sculpture to wider nineteenth-century European interpretations of non-European cultures. Minor surface wear consistent with age; patina stable; marble base intact; overall in very good condition.

Item #14572

Price: $500.00