Animal sculpture “Hunting dog” Pierre Jules Mêne (1810 – 1879)

French sculptor considered one of the pioneers of the 19th century Animalier genre.
Mêne produced a series of animal sculptures, mainly domestic animals including horses, cows and bulls, sheep and goats which were in vogue during the 19th century. He was part of a school of French animalières which also included Rosa Bonheur, Paul-Edouard Delabrierre, Pierre Louis Rouillard, Antoine-Louis Barye, his son Alfred, son-in-law Auguste Caïn and François Pompon.

His work was first exhibited in London by Ernest Gambart in 1849. Mêne specialized in small bronze figures which explains why none of his works exist as public statuary. His work was a popular success with the bourgeois class and many editions of each sculpture were made, often to decorate private homes. The quality of these works is high, comparable to that of Barye. Mêne enjoyed a longer period of success and celebrity than his contemporaries. He is regarded as the investment casting expert of his time. The lost wax casting method is sometimes referred to as the cire perdue method.