Paul JOUVE (1878-1973) , "Reclining Tiger", oil, pastel and gouache highlights on paper pasted on panel. Signed lower right. On the back is a label from the Médernac furniture repository in Vanves, where the artist stored some of his works. Framed by the Maison Havard at the artist's request. H. 43 x 79 cm Provenance: Estate of Mrs Z, Pully Reference: We would like to thank Mr Dominique Suisse for confirming the authenticity of this work. Note: Paul Jouve was a French painter, draughtsman, engraver and sculptor: Paul Jouve was a French painter, draughtsman, engraver and sculptor, renowned for his masterful representations of animals, particularly felines. A key figure in twentieth-century animal art, his work is rooted in the Art Deco aesthetic, which he helped to sublimate through an approach that was both powerful and refined. Raising animal art to the rank of a major art form, Jouve infused it with scientific rigour, a sense of movement and formal majesty. His many journeys to the Orient nourished his eye and reinforced the veracity of his subjects, which he rendered with exacting naturalism and remarkable technical virtuosity. Frozen in a calm pose or captured in a moment of tension, his animals are animated by a sovereign presence.