Pair of greyhounds

Emmanuel Frémiet (1824-1910) is recognized as one of the finest animal sculptors of the 19th century, alongside Valton and Barye, whom he succeeded as drawing teacher at the great menagerie of the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. Nephew and pupil of François Rude, he was honored with numerous public commissions for monumental works, such as the equestrian statue of Joan of Arc on the Place des Pyramides, or the sculptures on the Alexandre III bridge in Paris. His reputation is essentially due to the precision of his rendering of details in the animal subjects that inspire him: cat, dog, horse, frog... Today, his works are exhibited in the world's greatest museums, notably the Musée du Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay.