A powerful Art Deco print by Paul Jouve of a black panther draped over a tree branch. The animal’s forelegs hang down heavily, and its long tail curls beneath it. Jouve renders the panther’s dark coat with dense, finely worked lines, so that its muscles and shoulder blades stand out in gleaming highlights against the black. The rough texture of the bark contrasts with the sleek body, and the bare background gives the composition the monumental feel of a sculpture.
Paul Jouve was one of the greatest French animal artists of the twentieth century and is considered a master of the Art Deco animal subject. He began drawing animals as a boy at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. He later traveled widely through North Africa and Asia, studying wild animals in their natural surroundings. He is celebrated for his illustrations of Kipling’s The Jungle Book, and the black panther became the signature subject of his career.
The work is presented in a black wood frame with a gilt inner slip and a white mat.