The present piece is a small version of Barye's monumental Lion Crushing a Serpent which was shown in the Salon of 1832. This battle between two wild creatures is not confined to the realms of physical action. Barye has utilised the spatial interval between the faces of lion and snake inorder to evoke a sense of psychological combat and thus heightens the dramatic intensity of the piece. His subjects are held in the moment immediately preceding the inevitable onslaught.