FRENCH OR FLEMISH, LATE 16TH OR EARLY 17TH CENTURY

The present model of a cow is part of a tradition of depicting domestic animals in bronze which had its origin in antiquity, and which was revived in the 15th and 16th centuries. Although not identical to any known models, this grazing cow shares some similarites with the work of Barthélemy Prieur (died 1611), who was court sculptor to Henri IV of France, and who produced numerous bronzes depicting domestic scenes. It can be compared to a gilt-bronze cow attributed to the workshop of Prieur (offered Sotheby's London, 6 July 1995, lot 71), and the cow from a group of a milkmaid milking a cow convincingly attributed to Prieur (sold Sotheby's New York, 10 January 1995, lot 57). An attribution of the present bronze to a French workshop is further strengthened by the extensive traces of a dark reddish brown lacquer seen on many French bronzes of the period.