Armand Petersen (1891-1969) born in Basel, Switzerland, studied the art of chiseling and gold smithery at the School of Industrial Arts in Geneva. When the First World War broke out, he left for Budapest to continue studying at his craft. After travelling to Italy and Germany, he worked at the studio of the Hungarian sculptor Markup who introduced him to the animal sculpture and the animals of Budapest’s zoo. In 1924, Petersen settled down in Paris, a period in which animal sculpturing was at it’s zenith. He became friends with Edouard Marcel Sandoz and regularly frequented his menagerie at his studio at the Villa Alésia. Having decided to become an animalier, he regularly visited the ‘Jardin des Plantes’ where he followed the teachings of François Pompon.