Stalking Panther 1891-1892, revised mid 1890s; this cast, ca. 1914-1917 (?)
Alexander Phimister Proctor (1862-1950)
Bronze; 9 1/2 x 37 1/2 x 6 1/4 in. (24.1 x 95.3 x 15.9 cm)

Description:
Proctor based an early version of "Stalking Panther" on childhood observations in Colorado, studies of panthers in New York`s Central Park Zoo, and dissections of cats and cougars. Exhibited at the Chicago World`s Columbian Exposition in 1893, the statuette was shown the following year at the Society of American Artists in New York. In 1894, Proctor went to Paris and brought along a plaster cast of "Stalking Panther" in order to continue refining the composition. Using a shaved cat for anatomical reference, he completed the second version and had it cast in bronze. The Metropolitan`s statuette is presumed to be from this second version. The work is more than an anatomical assessment of an elongated cat in mid-stride; the piece is a psychologically engaging study of predatory motion toward an unseen prey, reflecting the artist`s interest in depicting animals as forces of uncivilized nature.