Superb and extremely early antique patinated bronze model of an irish setter signed Fratin ( for Christophe Fratin born Metz 1801 died 1864) an enormously famous and influential animalier sculptor. His work was often very unusual and idiosyncratic. On some of his early bronzes, the 'N' in his signature is reversed, as seen on this piece. On the underside of the base is written 'Iere Epreuve 1831', a first cast. Fratin first started exhibiting at the Paris Salon in 1831, so this model is one of his earliest works, and extremely rare. Height 26 and a half cm, Length 36cm and depth 11 and a half cm