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Animalier school or animalier art was a late-18th and 19th-century artistic genre and school of artists who focused on depictions of animals. The movement was largely centered in France, with some artists producing related subject matter in England, Italy, Germany, Russia, and North America. 
The term animalier is most often used to refer to a group of sculptors and painters in mid-century France including Antoine-Louis Barye, Rembrandt Bugatti (felines, human figures, and zoo animals). Jules Moigniez (paintings and sculpture of horses), Rosa Bonheur, and Pierre-Jules Mène.
The term animalier was first used by the French press and 
The art of George Stubbs became a favorite of collector
Artists of the animalier movement were referred to as '' les animaliers''. Important artists of the animalier movement included Antoine-Louis Barye (1796–1875), Rembrandt Bugatti (1884–1916), George Stubbs (1724–1806),
The term animalier is most often used to refer to a group of sculptors and painters in mid-century France including Antoine-Louis Barye, Rembrandt Bugatti (felines, human figures, and zoo animals). Jules Moigniez (paintings and sculpture of horses), Rosa Bonheur, and Pierre-Jules Mène.
History
The term animalier was first used by the French press and salon
Salon may refer to:
Common meanings
* Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments
* French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home
* Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment
Arts and entertainment
* Salon (P ...
jurors in the 19th century, often as a derogatory term. The Paris salon thought animal subjects too common for fine art, but with the opening of the new Paris Jardin des Plantes zoo and the Ménagerie du Jardin des plantes, interest in animal art increased. The Dukes of Orleans, Luynes, Montpensier
The French lordship of Montpensier (named after the village of Montpensier, département of Puy-de-Dôme), located in historical Auvergne, became a countship in the 14th century.
It changed hands from the House of Thiern, to the House of Beauj ...
, and Nemours were soon to become Barye's patrons. In 1882 Édouard Manet created a portrait in pastel on canvas of the animalier artist Julien de La Rochenoire, which has been owned by the Getty Museum since 2014. The art of George Stubbs became a favorite of collector Paul Mellon
Paul Mellon (June 11, 1907 – February 1, 1999) was an American philanthropist and an owner/breeder of thoroughbred racehorses. He is one of only five people ever designated an "Exemplar of Racing" by the National Museum of Racing and Hall ...
, who donated many of Stubbs' paintings to the Yale Center for British Art.
It has been observed that "many animal sculptures were modeled in plaster for exhibition and cast later in bronze editions. The size and variety of an edition depended on the popularity of the piece at exhibition, and many Barye, Mêne, and Fratin pieces were so popular that they were cast in very large editions."
Animalier artists
Artists of the animalier movement were referred to as '' les animaliers''. Important artists of the animalier movement included Antoine-Louis Barye (1796–1875), Rembrandt Bugatti (1884–1916), George Stubbs (1724–1806), Alfred Dedreux
Pierre-Alfred Dedreux, who signed his works as Alfred de Dreux (23 March 1810, in Paris – 5 March 1860, in Paris) was a French portrait and animal painter, best known for his scenes with horses.
Biography
Alfred de Dreux was born in 1810 i ...
(1810–1860), Christopher Fratin (1801–1864), Alexandre Guionnet, Pierre-Jules Mêne
Pierre-Jules M̻ne (25 March 1810 Р20 May 1879) was a French sculptor and ''animalier''. He is considered one of the pioneers of animal sculpture in the nineteenth century.
Early life
Mêne was born on 25 March 1810 in Paris, France. As a ...
(1810–1879). Rosa Bonheur (1822–1899), Isidore Bonheur
Isidore Jules Bonheur (Bordeaux 15 May 1827 – 10 November 1901 Paris), best known as one of the 19th century's most distinguished French animalier sculptors. Bonheur began his career as an artist working with his elder sister Rosa Bonheur in ...
(1827–1901), Anna Hyatt Huntington (1876–1973), Paul-Edouard Delabrierre (1829–1912), Alfred Dubucand (1828–1894), Jules Moigniez (1835–1894) and Émile-Coriolan Guillemin (1841–1907).
Animalier reproductions
Many beautifulreplicas
A 1:1 replica is an exact copy of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without claiming to be identical. Al ...
are made of animalier sculpture, which may be cast or molded in any size and of any material. The most desirable of these are exact in detail and made from the same material, such as cast iron, spelter, or cast bronze, as used in the artist's original sculpture. Most of the original animalier sculptors used the traditional lost wax process of casting prevalent at the time. Alexandre Guionnet was exceptional in that he worked in wood. Modern reproductions of the original sculptures frequently use patinated
Patina ( or ) is a thin layer that variously forms on the surface of copper, brass, bronze and similar metals and metal alloys (tarnish produced by oxidation or other chemical processes) or certain stones and wooden furniture (sheen produced ...
verdigris
Verdigris is the common name for blue-green, copper-based pigments that form a patina on copper, bronze, and brass. The technical literature is ambiguous as to its chemical composition. Some sources refer to "neutral verdigris" as copper(II) ac ...
cast bronze or iron, or bonded marble resin (pulverized reconstituted marble combined with resin glue), as well as various other materials and techniques, such as a composite of Capiz placuna placenta oyster shells, also known as window oyster shells, which come primarily from the Philippines (where they are known as ).
References
{{Reflist, 30em Art movements Art history Animal artists