Emmanuel Fremiet (French, 1824–1910)
Produced by Émile Muller et Cie. (Ivry-sur-Seine, France, 1854–1908)
Bull
INV-2468
Emmanuel Fremiet (French, 1824–1910)
Produced by Émile Muller et Cie. (Ivry-sur-Seine, France, 1854–1908)c. 1896
nineteenth century19th centurysculptureceramics
Date
c. 1896
Medium
Glazed stoneware
Dimensions
55 × 59 × 30 cm (21 11/16 × 23 1/4 × 11 13/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Purchased with funds provided by Constance T. and Donald W. Patterson through the Old Masters Society
This bull and its pelican companion are in fact chimeras: imaginative beasts composed of disparate body parts from two or more animals. French sculptor Emmanuel Fremiet merged the contemporary fascination with medieval imagery—particularly gargoyles—with his lifelong zoological studies. The gothic influence shows in each creature’s set of batlike wings, while the pelican’s mismatched but eerily realistic frog body displays Fremiet’s naturalist bent.
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