Footnotes

The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Véronique Fromanger.

Provenance
Galerie A.A. Hébrard, Paris.
Anon. sale, Gros & Delettrez, Paris, 26 June 2000, lot 29.
Anon. sale, Jean-Claude Anaf & Associé, Lyon, 4 February 2001, lot 124.
Anon. sale, Olivier Doutrebente, Paris, 26 June 2009, lot 104.
Private collection, France (acquired at the above sale).

Literature
P. Dejean, Carlo-Rembrandt-Ettore-Jean Bugatti, Nancy, 1981 (another cast illustrated p. 157; titled 'Panthère').
J. Chalom des Cordes & V. Fromanger des Cordes, Rembrandt Bugatti, Catalogue Raisonné, Paris, 1987 (another cast illustrated p. 271; image transposed).
E. Horswell, Rembrandt Bugatti, Life in sculpture, London, 2004 (another cast illustrated pp. 174-175; image transposed).
Exh. cat., Rembrandt Bugatti, Sladmore Gallery, London, in association with James Graham & Sons, New York, 2004, no. 18 (another cast illustrated).
P. Kjellberg, Les bronzes du XIXe siècle, Dictionnaire des sculpteurs, Paris, 2005 (illustrated p. 147).
V. Fromanger, Rembrandt Bugatti, Répertoire monographique, Sculpteur, Une trajectoire foudroyante, Paris, 2009, no. 302 (another cast illustrated p. 331; image transposed).
V. Fromanger, Rembrandt Bugatti, Répertoire monographique, Sculpteur, Une trajectoire foudroyante, Paris, 2016, no. 306 (another cast illustrated p. 366; image transposed).

In the early 20th century, the Jardin des Plantes in Paris was a place of wonder and contradiction. Its menagerie, one of the oldest zoos in Europe, housed exotic creatures from far-flung corners of the globe - lions, panthers, leopards, and elephants - confined within iron bars and stone enclosures. For most visitors, the zoo was a spectacle, a living cabinet of curiosities where the wild was tamed for human amusement. But for Rembrandt Bugatti, it was a sanctuary, a studio and a stage. Here, amidst the cacophony of growls, roars and the rustle of leaves, the young sculptor found his muses.

Born in 1884 into the illustrious Bugatti family, Rembrandt was surrounded by a legacy of luxury, craftsmanship, and innovation. His father, Carlo Bugatti, was a renowned designer of furniture and decorative arts, while his brother, Ettore, would go on to found the iconic Bugatti automobile company, synonymous with speed, elegance and precision. This environment of artistry and engineering profoundly influenced Rembrandt, who brought the same meticulous attention to detail and pursuit of perfection to his sculptures. Yet while the Bugatti name became associated with human mastery over machine, Rembrandt's work celebrated the untamed beauty of the natural world.

Preferring the company of animals to Paris' bustling social circles, Bugatti would spend hours sketching and modelling directly in front of his subjects, capturing their movements, moods and physicalities. Like an Impressionist artist painting en plein air to capture the fleeting effects of light, Bugatti sculpted en plein air to seize the fleeting moments of life itself. His process was immersive, almost devotional. He absorbed the sounds, smells and textures of the zoo, imprinting them onto his visual and haptic memory before translating them into bronze. This was not merely art, it was a form of communion, which Véronique Fromanger has described as a 'face à face' encounter with the wild - transcending the boundaries between human and animal, observer and observed.

The three iconic sculptures presented here are the fruits of this intense engagement. Each work captures a distinct moment in the life of its subject, from the poised tension of a stalking leopard to the quiet repose of a panther at rest. Yet together, they form a powerful testament to Bugatti's unique vision: one that bridges the primal force of nature with the precision of craftsmanship, thereby capturing the timeless beauty and fragility of the natural world.

In Petit léopard marchant, Bugatti captures the leopard in mid-stride, its front left paw slightly raised, as though caught in a moment of anticipation. The sculpture is a masterclass in movement and tension, with its rippling musculature and textured surface conveying both the animal's grace and its power. The sleek black patina adds a layer of mystique, gracing the leopard with shadows of the untamed and the unknown. Bugatti's toolmarks are not merely evidence of his process; they are a reminder of the artist's presence, his hand guiding the viewer's eye across the sculpture's dynamic form. This interplay of refinement and rawness reflects Bugatti's deep connection to his subjects, as well as his ability to elevate them beyond their captivity, bestowing them with quiet dignity.

Petite panthère assise presents a panther in repose, its body coiled with latent energy. The sculpture's surface is a study in contrasts: smooth, sinuous curves give way to raw, expressive tooling, creating a tactile interplay that invites both sight and touch. The panther's tail, stretched out behind it and curled at the tip, adds a fleeting tension - a pause before the animal springs into action. Bugatti's polychromatic brown patina enhances the lifelike quality of the sculpture, its glossy sheen evoking the panther's natural elegance. The influence of Auguste Rodin is evident in Bugatti's use of textured surfaces to convey movement and tension, yet where Rodin focused on human psychological intensity, Bugatti channels this energy into capturing the primal, untamed physicality of his animal subjects.

The most psychologically compelling of the three, Léopard au repos draws focus upon the leopard's face, rendered with remarkable detail and expression. With its furrowed brow and ears pointed back, the leopard opens its jaws into a snarl – a moment of discovery or confrontation immortalised in bronze. The almost anthropomorphic quality to its expression invites one to project one's own emotions onto the animal, creating a poignant touch of empathy and connection. Simultaneously, the repeated circular patterns on the tail blur the distinction between naturalism and abstraction, a hallmark of Bugatti's mature style, wherein he captured not just the impressive stature of his subjects but also their essence. Whether the viewer finds themself in a position of prey against predator, or of human against animal, they're confronted with something truly uncanny – a reminder of their own primal instincts. In this, Bugatti's work resonates with that of Alberto Giacometti, whose elongated figures and obsessive focus on movement sought to capture the essence of humanity. Both sculptors share a fascination with the fleeting and ephemeral, though while Giacometti's figures seem to dissolve into space, Bugatti's animals are firmly grounded in their visceral presences.

A rare opportunity to evaluate all three examples suggests that Bugatti's sculptures are far more than virtuoso depictions of animals – they are profound meditations on the relationship between humanity and nature. His immersive, almost ritualistic process - working directly from life, often in the confines of zoos - reflects a deep ethical commitment to his subjects. This 'face à face' encounter disrupts the power dynamic between humans and the natural world, as his subjects meet our gaze, asserting their presence and gravitas. As a scientist, artist and craftsman, Bugatti's oeuvre thereby becomes a Wunderkammer, a taxonomical trove of the animal kingdom, recorded with scientific precision and artistic empathy. Within the early 20th century fascination with expeditions, zoological collections and the 'exotic', the museum of Bugatti's oeuvre stands apart for its deep respect and reverence for its subjects.

Among Bugatti's rich menagerie of animals, his big cats are arguably his most powerful and charismatic, betraying his particular affinity with panthers, whom he saw as his companions in life and work. Coming from the same distinguished private French collection, these three masterworks exude vitality when viewed in the round, their moods and meanings shifting as the viewer undertakes their dual artistic and scientific observations. Bugatti's deft conjuring of his subjects from raw material – purposefully leaving traces of the process of his craft – encapsulates the wonder of artistic creation, achieving that uncanny moment when the essence of the subject sparks into life. Emerging gracefully in bronze, these cats thereby become emblems of defiance, empathy, instinct and power – enshrining them within the pantheon of twentieth-century sculpture.