A charming brown patinated statue of a sitting Fox by French Sculptor Alphonse Alexandre Arson
We fell in love with this particular sculpture following our encounters with a young vixen, who graced our lives for seven years.
The expression on this lovely bronze is truly hers and so lively.
Mischievous, brilliantly intelligent…
Our statue is signed on the terrace behind the fox.
Alphonse Alexandre Arson was born in Paris on January 11, 1822.
Initially, he intended to pursue painting. He trained in the studio of the Jura-born painter-sculptor Joseph Marcellin Combette (1770-1840) and ultimately decided on sculpture.
1859 was the year he exhibited for the first time at the Salon. He presented three bronzes: a hen and her chicks, two wrestlers, and the Washerwoman and her Children. Over the years, he specialized in animal sculpture.
His favorite subjects revolved around cockfights, hens with their chicks, pheasants, and partridges.
Until 1880, the year of his last exhibition, he received numerous awards and a medal.
Mischievous and playful, many of his works betray his playful and mischievous nature.
Less famous than his contemporaries Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1875), Emmanuel Frémiet (1824-1910), Jules Moigniez (1835-1894), and Ferdinand Pautrot (1832-1874), he nonetheless possessed a refined technique, a keen eye for detail, and an emotion and humor that shone through in each of his pieces.
As he died relatively young, before the age of sixty, Alphonse Alexandre Arson is a sculptor whose works were not widely published. Appreciated by collectors for his aesthetic qualities, he remains a highly sought-after artist.
His work is mentioned in several books including:
Bronze Sculptures of Les Animaliers by Jane Horswell (1971)
Dictionnaire des Peintres et Sculpteurs – Benezit (1966)