Father and son Henri and Jacques Mathieu were carvers living in France.
Henri began carving in 1945, primarily producing cabinets and decorative carvings before he joined a small woodcarving business in Paris, which would eventually evolve into a carousel firm known as Lafaure and Mathieu in 1951. Lafaure resigned just a year later in 1952, though it is unknown why. In 1958, Henri handed the business off to his son Jacques, born in 1933, who renamed it the Establishment Jacques Mathieu, though Henri remained as an employee.
Poor health forced Jacques, at age 40, to close the company in 1973, though a few figures signed "Mme & M. J. Mathieu" suggest that he and his wife completed a limited number of carvings after the closure. Jacques Mathieu committed suicide in 1981 at 47 years old, having struggled with mental health issues for much of his life.
Mathieu carvings are easily identifiable thanks to their curved saddles, creating a half-moon shape, often with a high front and back curve. Most Mathieu carvings feature a simple, square blanket with tassels hanging from the corners. They rarely have bridles or reins, instead having metal handles in front of the saddles for riders to hold onto.
Their carvings varied from realistic and heavily detailed, like the giraffes, elephants, and incredibly unique warthogs, to cartoonish like the laughing cows, ostriches with oversized feet, and alligators with moving jaws.
The Mathieus did not carve many horses--most of their figures are menagerie animals, typically exotic such as hippopotami, kangaroos, lions, and more, though they also produced domestic and farm animals, such as donkeys, goats, and dogs. Jacques was also known to carve various popular cartoon characters, including Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Pollux (a French cartoon dog).
Morgan, Brian. “More Than Just Bayol: French Carousels of the 'Belle Epoque' and Beyond.” The Merry-Go-Roundup, Summer 2013, pp. 4–28.
De Saint Cyr, Cornette. "Chefs-d'Oeuvre de l'Art Forain: La Fabuleuse Collection de Fabienne et Francois Marchal." September 2011.