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Fighting Lions

William Rimmer American, born England
Founder Cast by John Williams American
1870–71; cast possibly 1906, definitely by late January 1907
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 774
Rimmer was always fascinated by lions; he drew, painted, and sculpted them. While he may have known the lions depicted in paintings by Théodore Gericault and Eugène Delacroix, he was almost surely influenced by the work of French animal sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye. Rimmer’s colleague William Morris Hunt had introduced Barye’s sculpture to Boston collectors in the 1860s, so Rimmer likely knew his realistic statuettes of battling beasts, at the very least through engravings. "Fighting Lions" portrays a male and female lion locked in combat, an angry, turbulent mass of interlocked forms. Rimmer’s intimate knowledge of animal anatomy is evident, especially in his rendering of the straining muscles beneath the rippling, activated surface. In his writings, he frequently returned to the motif of animals caught in epic battles, symbolically connecting to moral chaos. Notably, the genders of the lions may have been a pointed reference to the ongoing struggles for women’s rights, of which Rimmer was a vocal supporter.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Fighting Lions
  • Artist: William Rimmer (American (born England), Liverpool 1816–1879 South Milford, Massachusetts)
  • Founder: Cast by John Williams (American, New York, ca. 1875–ca. 1953)
  • Date: 1870–71; cast possibly 1906, definitely by late January 1907
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: 17 x 23 1/4 x 17 in. (43.2 x 59.1 x 43.2 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Daniel Chester French, 1907
  • Object Number: 07.223
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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Elements of Design. Book First. For the Use of Parents and Teachers
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Elements of Design. Book First. For the Use of Parents and Teachers
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1864
Frontal and Profile Studies of a Lion's Head, William Rimmer American, born England, Graphite on light buff-colored wove paper, American
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William Rimmer
The Dying Centaur, William Rimmer American, born England, Bronze, American
The Dying Centaur
William Rimmer
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The Falling Gladiator, William Rimmer American, born England, Bronze, American
The Falling Gladiator
William Rimmer
John Williams
1861; cast 1907

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