Christopher Fratin

Christopher Fratin (1 January 1801 – 17 August 1864), also known as Christophe Fratin, was a noted French sculptor in the animalier style, and one of the earliest French sculptors to portray animals in bronze.

Fratin was born in Metz, Moselle, the son of a taxidermist. He studied sculpture under Pioche in Metz, then moved to Paris to study under Théodore Géricault. He exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1831–1842 and 1850–1862, as well as at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. He died at Le Raincy (Seine-Saint-Denis) and is buried in Montmartre Cemetery.

Fratin received monumental commissions in France and elsewhere, including the Deux Aigles Gardant Leur Proie (Eagles and Prey, created 1850) displayed since 1863 in New York City's Central Park. Many of his small bronzes were sold commercially during his lifetime. Today, Fratin's sculpture is on permanent display in the Louvre, the city museums of Metz, Lyon, and Nîmes; the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, Maryland; and the Georg Eisler archive in Vienna.

Christopher Fratin is honored in Metz as a street holds his name.

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  Eagles and prey in Central Park, NYC.

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  Horse in Metz, France

References

• Bronze Gallery: Christophe Fratin
• Central Park Conservancy: Eagles and Prey
• Michel Poletti, Alain Richarme, Fratin : objets décoratifs & sculptures romantiques, Paris : Univers du bronze sculptures XIXe & XXe, 2000. ISBN 2-9507001-2-8.
• Jane Horsell, Les Animaliers, 1971.
• James Mackay, The Animaliers, 1973.
• Christopher Payne, Animals in Bronze, 1986.
• Pierre Kjellberg, Bronzes of the 19th Century, 1994.
• George Savage, A Concise History of Bronzes, 1968.
• E. Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres et Sculpteurs, 1966.
• Stanaslas Lami, Dictionnaire de Sculpteurs de l'ecole Francaise, 1914.

Persondata
Name	Fratin, Christopher
Alternative names	Fratin, Christophe
Short description	French sculptor
Date of birth	1 January 1801
Place of birth	Metz, Moselle, France
Date of death	17 August 1864
Place of death	Le Raincy, Paris, France