Lion of Senegal
19th century
Those faint grid lines hovering over this resting lion are the secret blueprint of a master sculptor. Antoine-Louis Barye, the 19th-century 'king of animal sculpture,' used sketches like this to map out his famous bronze beasts before casting them. This specific 'Lion of Senegal' looks relaxed, but Barye was a Romantic artist famous for capturing wild intensity. He spent hours sketching at the Paris zoo, obsessing over anatomy so he could freeze raw power in metal forever.
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