Rare Patinated Bronze Statue of a Native American Indian Archer on the Hunt
$4,500.00
A rare bronze of a bare chested sinewy Native American Indian warrior/ archer in a crouching position with one leg out for support and the other in a kneeling position as he is in throes of shooting an arrow skywards presumably hunting for a bird. The Indian is dressed in full traditional garb with patterned cotton woven loin cloth, a head band with a single feather. Buckskin leather frilly pants and moccasins. Slung on his back is a leather sheath holding a quiver of arrows. A belt holds a feathered tomahawk on one side and a sheated hunting knife on the other. The base of the bronze is designed to simulate a rocky terrain typical of the American Plains.
The bronze has a P J Mene signature but carries no foundry mark. Is the bronze indeed a work of the famous French 19 century “Animalier” Sculptor Pierre Jules Mene! (1810-1879). If it is it would make it extremely rare and perhaps a one of as no record of it of the subject could be found in reference books on Mene.
The famous Mene is known almost exclusively for his animal sculptors. He has a lot of work with human figures in them but invariably there are always animals associated with them such as a jockey riding a horse. So until an expert opinion is rendered on this bronze by a PJ Mene expert, the pricing of the bronze is based purely on its artistic value and the rarity of the subject.
Dimensions: 16″ H” 12″ W x 9″ D