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Source Description
In this amusing sculpture, Barye parodies the tradition of the equestrian monument. An ape from Sumatra, Indonesia, named Jack rides on the back of an African antelope with buffalo-like antlers-a gnu or wildebeest. Jack arrived at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris in 1836 and survived for less than eight months. After taxidermy, its body became a popular sight for visitors to the Jardin's natural history museum. The composition is based on an engraving of the same subject by Thomas Landseer (1795-1880).
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
23970
label
Ape Riding a Gnu
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
citationUrl
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
23970
sourceUrl
contentType
sculpture
stage
normalized
title
Ape Riding a Gnu
description
In this amusing sculpture, Barye parodies the tradition of the equestrian monument. An ape from Sumatra, Indonesia, named Jack rides on the back of an African antelope with buffalo-like antlers-a gnu or wildebeest. Jack arrived at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris in 1836 and survived for less than eight months. After taxidermy, its body became a popular sight for visitors to the Jardin's natural history museum. The composition is based on an engraving of the same subject by Thomas Landseer (1795-1880).
provenance
William T. Walters, Baltimore, prior to 1889; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894, by inheritance; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
modeled ca. 1840
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Sculpture
sculpture (visual works)
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
24.1
height
27.3
depth
10.5
dimensionsRaw
9 1/2 x 10 3/4 x 4 1/8 in. (24.1 x 27.3 x 10.5 cm)
Source extras
inscriptions
[Signature] Cast through from model: BARYE; [Number] Cold stamped on underside: 50; [Number] Cold stamped on top: 27; [Number] Painted inside in white letters: W 106
med
bronze with some light green over warm red-brown patina
creator_ids
6082
collection_ids
EAN
exhibition_ids
1956
631
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
5d8431a97440dd0b
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
d4f6fb1f8edad568
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no