No animal belonged to Art Deco like the panther. In the France of the 1920s and 30s, the crouching cat — all shoulder and menace, caught the instant before the spring — became the era's signature beast, prowling across mantelpieces just as it prowled across the posters and jewellery of the period. Sculptors set these cats on bases that were compositions in themselves, banding together the boldest stones of the age.
This panther is French Art Deco in style, cast in régule — spelter — with a deep black patina, as the period's workshops made these dramatic cats attainable beyond the price of bronze. The animal is modelled snarling, hindquarters coiled and one forepaw planted on a rocky outcrop, forelegs braced wide along the base. That base is a piece of Deco geometry in its own right: a slab of black Portoro marble shot with gold veining, framed in banded amber onyx with inlaid diagonal stripes of black and pale green, raised on rounded stone feet. Note the deliberate clash the maker set up — the panther's matte black body against the gold-veined gloss beneath it, the surface contrast by which Deco composers made a single object read like a stage.
The spelter shows wear to its patina consistent with its years, as such surfaces do, with lighter tone showing at the raised muscle lines and paw edges; the stone base is sound and sits solidly on its feet. Whoever gave this panther its place before you kept it well. It commands a mantel, a console, or the top of a low bookcase.
The sculpture is nearly half a metre long, in cast metal and solid stone, with real weight to it. It arrives professionally packed and fully insured — we handle the paperwork and worldwide shipping, with all import duties paid by us, so there is nothing to settle on delivery. Returns are accepted within 30 days.
DETAILS:
Height: 18.5 cm (7.3 in) · Width: 47.2 cm (18.6 in) · Depth: 15.5 cm (6.1 in) — about as long as two hardcover books side by side; a substantial mantel piece
Patinated régule (spelter) figure; Portoro-type marble and banded onyx base with inlaid stripes
Condition: good condition for age; patina wear to high points of the figure as noted by the source, stone base sound
