Tiger Pinning down a Crocodile, Bronze sculpture in Tuileries Garden, Paris, France
Tiger Pinning down a Crocodile is a bronze sculpture in the Tuileries Garden by Auguste Cain, placed there in 1869. It shows a tiger pressing a crocodile to the ground, its claws gripping the reptile's back while the crocodile twists beneath. The group is modelled in detail, from the tiger's striped coat to the crocodile's scaled hide.
The work was created in 1869 by French sculptor Auguste Cain and exhibited at the prestigious Paris Salon in 1870. Cain was known for his ability to capture dynamic movement and raw power in animal sculptures throughout his career.
The sculpture reflects how Parisians of the 1800s were drawn to wild animal scenes and dramatic natural encounters displayed in public gardens. These bronze works became a way for the city to showcase its fascination with nature and the animal kingdom.
The bronze stands in the Tuileries Garden, in the 1st arrondissement, on the garden's western side near the Place de la Concorde entrance. Paths of packed gravel run past it, and the ground is level, so wheelchairs and strollers reach it without difficulty. The garden gates close in the evening, so plan a daytime visit.
Auguste Cain modelled the group from life studies of animals he kept and observed; the plaster version was shown at the 1870 Salon before the bronze was cast by the firm of Thiébaut. The tiger's paw pressing the crocodile's back is the detail most visitors walk past without noticing.
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