Bronze Coffee Table with Twin Ibex Heads by Alain Chervet, French Work, Circa 1970

A commanding and highly distinctive coffee table, this exceptional piece by Alain Chervet takes the form of two powerfully modelled ibex heads cast in bronze, their great curving horns serving as the structural supports for the tabletop. The naturalistic treatment of the animals — with careful attention to the texture of the coat, the expression of the eye and the articulation of the horns — demonstrates the sculptor's mastery of wildlife form. The rich patina of the bronze deepens the sense of vitality, conferring upon this functional object the aura of a true sculpture.

Alain Chervet was a French sculptor who elevated the animalier tradition — a long-established French discipline of sculptural naturalism focused on the representation of animals — into the realm of high decorative design. Working in the spirit of such 19th-century masters as Antoine-Louis Barye and Christophe Fratin and bringing their tradition into the modernist era, Chervet produced bronzes of exceptional quality prized by collectors and decorators alike. His subjects — principally wild mountain fauna including ibex, chamois, rams and bears — were celebrated for their vitality and precision of observation.

A piece that commands instant admiration, this coffee table would be at home in a study, a hunting lodge or a grand salon seeking a note of sculptural dynamism. It pairs naturally with leather seating, stone floors and natural materials, as well as with collections of natural history objects, bronzes and other sculptural works. An exceptional example of the French animalier tradition in its most functional and accessible form.