Italian greyhound bronze with black patination after French animalier sculptor Pierre-Jules M�ne (1810-1879). The dog is faces right with an open fan on the simulated carpet base. Signed ''P J M�ne'' to base. Circa 1920.M�ne was one of the most successful and prolific animalier sculptors of his day. He was born in Paris in 1810 in Rue de Faubourg St. Antione. His father, Doninique, was a skilled metal turner who taught his son not only the basics of metal foundry and the work of a ''ciseler'', but also the principles of sculpture. He developed his natural talents as an animal sculptor under sculptor Ren� Compaire making detailed sketches of the animals in the zoo at the Jadin des Plantes which he used as his models. He cast his own sculptures and quickly made a reputation for himself.In 1838 he exhibited a group of a ''Dog and Fox'' at the French Salon in bronze and established his own foundry in the same year, exhibiting one or more models almost every year until his death, w...