Pierre-Jules Mène (1810-1879) - Sculpture, L'ACCOLADE - JUMENT ARABE ET SON POULAIN - 30 cm - Bronze

Pierre-Jules Mêne’s Embrace, 19th-century bronze with a medal patina, Hautval base. Dimensions:
30 cm high
24 cm deep
46 cm long
Weight: 15.8 kg or 33 pounds

Bronze sculpture with a brown patina and golden-brown highlights, depicting an Arabian mare playing with her foal. The sculptor’s signature, P.J. Mêne, is on the base. This sculpture is a perfect representation of elegance.
The casting and the detail of the chasing are remarkable.
Examples are uncommon; the casts are generally from the period and undated.


Born in 1810 and died in 1879, he specialized in hunting scenes, horses, and dogs. He also created farm and barnyard animals (including a very handsome rooster), as well as a few wild animals, but he is particularly well known for his dogs and horses. He was an excellent draughtsman and took care to reproduce the morphology of specific breeds accurately.
He is known for producing exceptionally detailed, finely chased pieces. He achieved success very quickly. In a touching detail, he died shortly after his beloved wife, who had been a great support to him. His daughter married the animal sculptor Auguste Cain, and all of them lived comfortably and happily together as a family in one large house.

Mène opened his own foundry in 1837 to produce his works and later those of his son-in-law. Like all renowned sculptors, Mêne was imitated, and there are a great many copies of his works, varying considerably in quality.

The bronze presented here is titled precisely “Arabian Mare and Her Foal (Kemlem-Handani).” It was created in 1850 and published that same year. Exhibited at the Salon in 1850 alongside other pieces, it caught the attention of Prince Louis-Napoléon, who acquired it. Listed in the Susse foundry’s catalogue in the late 19th century.

The bronze presented here is very finely crafted: note the veins on the mare’s head and the foal’s tiny hooves.