NATURE REVEALING HERSELF BEFORE SCIENCE, CIRCA 1899

Barrias, trained painter turned sculptor, was admitted to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1858. He worked primarily in marble. His most noteworthy commissions include participation in the decoration of the Paris Opéra and the Hôtel de la Païva on the Champs-Élysées. Nature Revealing Herself Before Science, surely to day his best known work, was first presented in a large scale version at the Salon of 1893 where it was the subject of considerable acclaim.

The sculpture featured in further exhibitions including the Salon of 1899 and the Exposition Universelle in 1900 and as a result of its popularity was cast in various verions and sizes by Susse Frères The present cast, incorporating marble, a carved hardstone and silvered and gilt bronze is an exceptionally fine example of this celebrated subject.