Antoine-Louis Barye - Lion and Serpent - Walters 37829

A lion attacking a snake is a recurrent theme in Barye's production. The artist has given the cat a particularly ferocious expression as it approaches its prey, a small cobra. For this watercolor, Barye worked mostly with colored washes; patches of opaque blue pigment define the sky. To enhance the surface, Barye employed a knife to scratch in details in the lion's mane.