Maurice PROST (Paris, 1894-1967). Lioness down. Bronze with a nuanced red patina signed by the artist and the foundryman and stamped Susse Frères à Paris and "cire perdue" on the terrace. Top. Width : 17 cm - Depth : 60,5 cm - Height : 21,5 cm Maurice Prost studied drawing with the sculptor Léopold Morice, author of the Monument de la République in Paris. He had one arm amputated at the beginning of the First World War, and gave up his job as a jewellery chaser and devoted himself to sculpture. Despite this handicap, he specializes in the technique of direct carving with the help of his wife. Every day, he observes and draws in the Jardin des Plantes. He is particularly attached to the beasts of the menagerie with his companions the "Animaliers du jardin des Plantes". At the Salon des Artistes français, the Salon d'Automne and the Animal Artists exhibition, he wins several distinctions testifying to his great success. By the mastery of postures and expressions, he breathes life into his bronze felines.