This finely cast bronze of Panthère marchant patte arrière levée (1904) exemplifies Rembrandt Bugatti’s extraordinary sensitivity to the big cats he observed daily at the Jardin des Plantes. Produced by the Hébrard foundry in over fifty editions, the sculpture distills the panther’s coiled strength and fluid motion into a compact, impressionistic form—every detail from the slight tilt of the head to the lifted hind paw animated with lived observation. Evoking the same intense presence that inspired Rilke’s poem, The Panther, Bugatti captures an animal suspended between power, vigilance, and modern expressive force.
