Bison sculpture

sterling silver, cast, chiseled (no hallmark, goldsmith's monogram A.C - in oval); wood; height 45 cm; width 51 cm; depth 27 cm; weight approx. 6 kg (with base)
Germany ?, late 19th century.
Realistic sculpture of a bison, depicted in its natural habitat, standing on grass, captured at the moment of lurching against the trunk of a withered tree - animal in a dynamic pose,
with its head slightly raised, with the front of its body leaning to the right and rubbing against the trunk, with its front right leg bent at the knee simultaneously clasping its left leg and hind legs against the ground. Sculpture
Placed on an oval-shaped, upturned, chevet pedestal.
Animalistic sculpture, treated as an independent subject, gained critical acclaim only around the middle of the 19th century. to already enjoy well-deserved popularity and interest from both experts and collectors, especially in France . In Germany, interest peaked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.