Antoine Felix Boure

Nineteenth-century Belgian sculptor Antoine Felix Boure studied at the art academies of Brussels and Florence. His monumental sculptural commissions include statues of Cicero and Ulpien for the Palace of Justice in Brussels and a lion for the battlement fortifications in Anvers. He exhibited at the salon in 1874. His interest in animal subject matter follows the example of an important group of nineteenth century French sculptors led by Antoine-Louis Barye. Known as les animaliers for their emphasis on animal subjects, Barye and his contemporaries challenged artistic conventions of the day, which relegated animals to the background of a painting or sculpture, and instead made animals the focus of their artwork.