catalog text
“BOEUF COUCHE” PATINATED BRONZE SCULPTURE BY ROSA BONHEUR
Signed in naturalist base "Rosa B.”; sand-cast; stamped verso PEYROL
Item # 007OCB13J
The original model for Boeuf Couché by Rosa Bonheur was sculpted 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. Her brother-in-law Hippolyte Peyrol cast it for Rosa in his foundry and an identical example of this work of the exact same dimensions is held in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
It is an exceedingly rare model and exquisite both in modeling and in casting: the surfaces capture detail and rich texture 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 from reddish-oxide to golden-bronze and darker browns, while black and near black is employed in the base for contrast.
Literature:
- 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 1/4” W x 7 1/8” D x 5 5/8” H (28.9 cm x 18 cm x 14.6 cm)
Condition Report:
Some minor high-relief rubbing to patina in the ground cover of the base, minor edge wear to base, two spots of paint speckle, otherwise exceptional original condition.