Bronze, incised 'Barye' and dated '18..', inscribed '5028' and '12618' on the underside, fitted onto walnut stand. 10 3/4 in.Literature: Stuart Pivar, The Barye Bronzes, no. A61, illus. p.142.Note: Barye exhibited his first version of this sculpture in the salon of 1831, winning second prize and garnering much attention. The salon submission was a 40 in. long painted plaster sculpture. Barye produced the work in two later versions in bronze, one measuring 20 in. and the other 11 in., as here.The date of this casting is not kn own, though some have been dated 18590 and some 'after 1847'. A gavial is a type of crocodile inhabiting the rivers of Northern India and Nepal.