Auguste Cain (1821-1894) Rooster crowing Gilt bronze inkwell Signed " A.CAIN " on the haystack H : 17 cm A student of Alexandre Guionnet and then of François Rude, Auguste Cain specialized in animal sculpture. The Jardin des Plantes became his place of learning and observation and allowed him to create sculptures that he exhibited from 1846. Associated with Pierre-Jules Mêne, whose daughter he married in 1842, he collaborated with him in the edition of bronze which he used for his own production. Through his father-in-law's work, he acquired a certain talent that earned him numerous public commissions as well as an eminent name among the animal sculptors of the 19th century.