This massive bronze statue is a very attractive copy of a very famous work by Frederic Remington (1861-1909). Over time, Frederic Remington has become one of the most legendary and iconic artists to depict the 19th century American west, with much of his work depicting ranching, cowboys, Native Americans, and wildlife with extraordinary realism. Remington failed at multiple different business ventures including ranching and saloon ownership before eventually deciding to pursue art as a career. Eventually many newspapers, including Harper's Weekly, began to publish his artwork, eventually leading him into other mediums such as painting which dominated the middle of his career, and sculpture which consumed much of his later career, only producing his first "lost wax" casting in about 1900. This piece was titled "The Rattlesnake", and is noted as being one of Remington's most popular pieces, bested only by "The Broncho Buster". Remington original completed the plaster cast for "The Rattlesnake" in 1905, with only eleven casts being made by the Roman Bronze Works between then and 1908, when Remington became dissatisfied with his original design. Remington then reworked the piece, slightly changing the stance of the horse and position of the rider, vastly increasing the drama it portrayed. By 1921, roughly 100 authorized casts had been made of the revised piece by the Roman Bronze Works, with many unauthorized copies being made since. This example is a massively scaled up version of the original that stood approximately 24 inches tall. It depicts a western cowboy wearing fur chaps struggling with all his might to stay on horseback and hold onto his hat, while his startled horse rears away from a rattlesnake on the ground. Typical of Remington's work, the statue truly captures the fear that has possessed the horse, sending it into a fight or flight reaction, as well as the struggle of the cowboy to regain control of his mount. This piece appears to be unmarked, with the horse standing on a cast base made to look like the ground that measures approximately 64 x 40 inches. The statue as a whole, including the base, stands approximately 9 feet 4 inches tall, giving it an incredibly life-like appearance. A similarly sized cast of "The Rattlesnake" is on display in the community of Jonesboro, Arkansas, and it is unknown how many castings in this size were made.

Fine overall, the bronze showing mostly an attractively aged patina overall with some scattered light surface oxidation/verdigris. There is a small puncture hole in the top of the base but otherwise the piece appears to show minimal handling evidence. A truly magnificent and awe-inspiring work, originally designed by one of the most legendary artists of the American west, Frederic Remington!