No eminent Victorian’s mantelpiece was complete without its little bronze ... Certain early 19th century French artists, quite logically called les animaliers, made small sculptures, of fauna ...

The sculpture had not been seen in public ... Created towards the end of the 19th century, the bronze work was inspired by Claudel’s painful break-up with French sculptor Auguste Rodin.

Despite the name, not all the statues are made of bronze. They include figurines, tusks, sculptures of Benin's rulers, and an ivory mask. They were made during between the 15th and 19th Centuries.

The sculpture had not been seen in public since an exhibition ... Created towards the end of the 19th century, the bronze work was inspired by Claudel's painful break-up with French sculptor Auguste ...