Jument normande et son poulain (Normandy mare and foal)

Number 30 in Mêne's catalogue, Jument normande et son poulain was first exhibited in wax at the 1868 Salon (no. 3749) and again in bronze the following year (no. 3592). Along with L'Accolade and Jument et son poulain (see previous lot), this far less commonly seen study of a mare and foal taking its first tentative steps ranks among the sculptor's most enduringly popular models. Listed as number 33, the mare was also offered in Mêne's catalogue as a figure on its own (Jument normande seule).