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The son of a jeweller, Barye was apprenticed to a military engraver before beginning sculpting in 1817. Regarded as a Romantic, he was much influenced by the paintings of Gericault. Barye is today recognised for establishing animal sculpture and an important and viable means of artistic expression. His works are characterised by both realism and an inner tension, and he possessed the ability to capture these elements regardless of whether working on a small-scale domestic piece or one one of the many monumental pieces which he was commissioned to undertake; including most prominently a series of animal sculptures on the facade of The Louvre in Paris. His son Alfred became a successful animalier also.