Alexandre Falguière (1831-1900) was one of the masters of realism in France during the second half of the 19th century. He won the coveted Prix de Rome in 1859, and remained in Italy for five years. He sent works from Rome to the Paris Salon, of which the most notable was the Vanqueur au Combat de Coqs, exhibited at the Salon of 1864, bought by the State that year and now in the Musée d'Orsay. It was received with great acclaim, one critic, Paul de Saint-Victor, exclaimed: "un des plus heureux débuts dont on ait mémoire" and drew comparisons with Giambologna's Mercury. The model was again exhibited at the Exposition Universelle of 1867, a marble version was exhibited at the Salon of 1870 and acquired by Napoleon III. Falguière has drawn inspiration both from Classical athletic youths, and in the pose from Giambologna, however, he has imbued his work with a popular realism typical of his avant-garde oeuvre.