A real social fashion, the production of bronze statuettes enjoyed a renowned popularity under the French July Monarchy.
Small bronze objects, perfectly suited to the decoration of bourgeois interiors, became easier to produce thanks to the invention of mechanical reduction techniques, adapted to sand casting, which were faster and cheaper than the traditional lost-wax process.
These innovations led to the success of foundries such as Maison Susse and the sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye (Paris 1796-1875), Jean Jacques Pradier (1792-1852) and Jean-Jacques Feuchère (1807-1852).
