Henri & Jacques Mathieu

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).