Paul Comolera (1818 - 1897) was born in Paris, France. A very fine sculptor known mainly for his modeling of birds but he also produced some domestic farm animal figures as well as portrait busts.  Comolera was a student of the early sculptor Francois Rude and he was the teacher of Jules Moigniez, one of the more important sculptors of the Animalier school.  There is a distinct similarity in the detail, construction, form, and finish of the works of Comolera and his student Moigniez although Comolera's birds are considered to be more in the naturalistic style as opposed to the romantic style of his pupil. Paul Comolera made his debut at the Salon in 1846 with a group called Golden Pheasants of China and continued to exhibit there until his death in 1897.  Comolera's bronzes are prized for their great detail and accuracy.  His models were cast in bronze by the foundries of A. Gouge and Susse Freres and occasionally models were executed in faience (lead-glazed earthenware), by H. Boulanger et Cie., at Choisey.

The life of Paul Comolera is documented in the following books:

Les Animaliers by Jane Horswell (1971)
The Animaliers by James Mackay (1973)
Animals in Bronze by Christopher Payne (1986)
Bronzes of the 19th Century by Pierre Kjellberg (1994)
A Concise History of Bronzes by George Savage (1968)
Dictionnaire des Peintres et Sculpteurs by E. Benezit (1966)
Dictionnaire de Sculpteurs de l'ecole Francaise by Stanaslas Lami (1914)

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