Seated Hare c. 1865

Editor: Here we have Antoine Louis Barye’s bronze sculpture, Seated Hare. It's quite small and captures the hare in a moment of alert stillness. What do you make of it? Curator: Barye's animal sculptures gained popularity during a period of urbanization and industrialization. This hare, mass-produced in bronze, became a surrogate for lost nature, democratizing access to wildlife imagery for a burgeoning middle class. What do you think about that? Editor: Interesting. So, it’s less about the hare itself and more about what it represented to society at that time? Curator: Precisely. Barye and others helped define the public’s understanding of nature, framing it for consumption, both literally and figuratively. I now see this hare as a product of shifting social and economic forces. Editor: I hadn't considered that! Thanks for providing that additional context.