Charles Valton

Artist Biography

Charles Valton was a French sculptor known for his works created in the animalier style, a 19th-century movement which depicted animals in active poses with realistic anatomy. He produced numerous small-scale models of African and Indian wildlife, including lions, tigers, jaguars, camels, and elephants, often using granite or white marble as the base for the bronze casts around the animal to depict stone or snow. Born on January 26, 1851 in Pau, France, Valton grew up in the French capitol and spent much of his time at the Jardin des Plantes botanical garden. He also studied with two artists who served as the directors of the Parisian zoological garden. Valton’s work was exhibited regularly in the Paris Salons between 1868 and 1914, and the artist died in 1918 in Paris, France.