'Émeu', circa 1904

Emigrating to Paris from his native Milan in 1903, Bugatti flourished in his early years of creativity, securing an exclusive contract with Adrien-A. Hébrard in 1904 which would prove to be the seminal collaboration of his short yet extraordinary career. Having observed animals at the Jardin des Plantes, captivated by their personalities and behaviors, Bugatti developed a personal connection with the staff and the animals themselves, each of which he knew by name. In his depth of personal understanding and his new methodology for approaching animal sculpture, Bugatti defined himself in contrast to other animaliers of the time and was regarded as a new and exciting talent. Édouard Sarradin wrote in 1904: 'So can we see today, in this same Jardin des Plantes, the young Bugatti, who has somehow taken up residence there and knows no better friends than lions, panthers, camels, elephants, and deer...better than all lectures, personal observation, observation of the eye and the mind has formed his exceptional talent. Really exceptional. It reveals a marvelous sensibility, a vivacity and a force of impression, an agility and a confidence of transcription of which it would be difficult for me to give you a good idea of, and which you will best encounter in the presence of the works themselves' (Le Temps, Paris, 1904).

This rare Émeu (d'Australie) is representative of Bugatti’s early creations, remarkable by their spontaneous sensitivity and still impressionist inspiration. The sculptor captured the emu in its interrogating pose, in a streamline and dynamic form that is animated by a very tactile modeling. The second largest bird after the ostrich and sharing its long, bare neck, sturdy legs and bulky body, covered with feathers, the emu distinguishes itself by its friendly character. It therefore comes as no surprise that it was chosen by Bugatti as one of his subjects and that he was able to model it in such a striking pose.