Presented is a super quality antique French bronze by renowned sculptor Pierre
Jules Mene, dating to the late 1800s. Known for his lifelike depictions of the
animal world, this bronze group is true to form and one of his most beloved,
capturing two whippet dogs playing with a ball on a rug. The sleek dogs are
sculpted in dynamic, expressive poses: one standing (“Jiji”) and one crouching
(“Gisella”), presumably in the last split second before both dive for the ball.
The quality of the casting is incredible, hand finished with great attention to
details like the folds of the dogs' ears, their elegant paws and the pawpads on
Jiji's one upturned paw, and even the Oriental pattern of the rug. The bronze
has a rich chocolatey patina, which suits the subject quite nicely.

The bronze is signed P.J. Mene on the upper side of the base.

This piece is in excellent condition. There are no splits, no dents, no
chips, no cracks, no breaks, no monograms, no monogram removals, and no repairs.
The patina is in great shape, with only very minor wear to patina of the larger
dog's underside, likely from people lifting the bronze. The papered underside is
mostly intact, with the old square cut bolts poking through. We leave it this
way to show the age but the underside could easily be felted over, though the
underside is recessed enough the bolts shouldn't make contact with surfaces
anyway.

The statue measures approximately 8 3/4 by 5 1/8 by 6 inches, LxWxH.

This statue weighs 4.4 pounds or  1.98 kilograms.

-jm