Style Other / Ref.15804

Carved softwood high relief of an animal scene, 19th century

This softwood panel, almost certainly limewood, illustrating an animal scene is remarkable for the finesse of its ornamental details. In the foreground, a dog stands still at the edge of a pond. He has just spotted three ducks, two of which take flight to escape the hunter, who will soon rejoin his dog. The effect of perspective is particularly effective in this piece: the dog and the nearest reeds are sculpted in high relief, while the plants further away and the birds in flight are barely visible. This scene is completed by a frame that simulates wooden planks nailed together; the only reference to a human presence. An interlacing of aquatic plants, including lotuses, completes the composition, symbolising the perfect harmony between man and nature. The roughness of the planks is counterbalanced by the delicate stems and leaves that surround them. Part of the scene (the reeds, the ground, the dog's right hind leg and tail) emerges from the frame, giving the piece a particular liveliness and dynamism.

Even though this beautiful sculpted panel dates back to the 19th century, it is Aubert-Henri-Joseph Parent (1753-1835) who established the reputation of this type of fine creation during the 18th century. Many artists followed in Aubert Parent's footsteps by creating panels of this kind. The Château de Versailles, for example, still has one of his high reliefs, which the sculptor gave to Louis XVI in 1777 and which was on display in the Retours de chasse dining room at Versailles.