catalog text
ROSA BONHEUR
French, 1822-1899
"Boeuf Couché" (Resting Bull)
Patinated bronze | Signed "Rosa B" | conceived 1846, a lifetime cast circa 1860-1880 | cold-stamped verso PEYROL
Item # 406CJU25W
The original model for Boeuf Couché by Rosa Bonheur was conceived in 1846 as a study for her first major painting Le Boeufs du Cantal and was also executed in charcoal on paper the same year. An identical example of this model is held in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
This exceedingly rare model is a most pleasing study of this sensitive beast and the present example is an exquisite representation of the model. It features rich texture captured directly from the original mold with self-evident fidelity, all elements chiseled and chased by the foundry with utmost precision. The result is a silky smooth surface with a complex patina gradient of an overall medium-brown hue with underlying autumnal colors (ochre, brick red and golden bronze) that throughout present with a brilliant translucency.
Artist Listings & Bibliography:
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acc no. 39.65.62 a/b, Peyrol stamped, 14.6 cm x 28.9 cm
- "Rosa Bonheur: Sa Vie, Son Oeuvre", Léon Rodger-Milés, Lyon, 1901: showing both the sculpture executed by Peyrol and original charcoal drawing of the same
- "Bronzes of the 19th Century", Pierre Kjellberg, p. 106-7
Measurements: 11 3/8” W x 7 1/8” D x 5 5/8” H (28.9 cm x 18 cm x 14.6 cm)
Condition Report:
Wear to the patina around the edges of the base; wear to the tips of the horns; light wear to the tip of the tail; very minor handling wear to the ridge of the back and back shoulder; carefully cleaned and sealed in conservator's wax; a fine presentation.