Isidore Jules Bonheur (1827-1901) was the creator of these two bronzes of a lion, and lioness, below. They were recently sold at auction, but their prices probably reflect that they are more in the manner of than the real McCoy.
I have a genuine copy of the lioness, without her uphill plinth, and she patrols the entrance hall of my apartment. I am quite unashamedly declaring her duplicate status, as I believe good copies of famous artifacts work just as well as the real deal, which would probably run to many thousands of dollars.
The design of this area was kept very uncluttered, but nevertheless dramatic by its simplicity and starkness. The Japanese woodblock prints in rounded corner blackwood frames are C19th by Toyokuni III.
The white urns, vaguely reflected in the sandblasted glass, behind which is the office, provide a neoclassical contrast, paired as they are with two of the red lacquer Regency style chairs.
The front door directly faces the yellow lacquered square-within-a-square console. Symmetrical perfection.
