August Gaul is best known for his animal sculptures, although as a graphic artist he also made animal illustrations for periodicals and fable books. He was educated at the Staatliche Zeichenakademie in Hanau, a training for goldsmiths, and at the applied arts school and the academy in Berlin. In the zoo near the academy, Gaul drew a lot. The lioness in bronze that he showed in 1899 at the Berliner Sezession exhibition, of which he was one of the founders, made him instantly famous. From that moment on, he exhibited frequently at home and abroad. Gaul made life-size statues, small plastics, but also medals and plaques. Usually he gave the animals back in a state of rest. His sculptures are lively and true to nature, but at the same time also suggestive in their language of form.