catalog text
ROSA BONHEUR
French, 1822-1899
"Boeuf Couché" (Resting Bull)
Patinated sand-cast bronze | Signed "Rosa B" in base | conceived 1846, cast circa 1870-90
Item # 408TGI08P
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 surface 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 vibrant surface finished in an overall medium-brown hue of patination with underlying reddish, caramel and bronze tones.
Our gallery specializes in the work of Rosa and Isidore Bonheur - we have at the moment of writing this catalog text 3 examples of Rosa's "Boeuf Couché" on display in the gallery. They offer a rather rare opportunity to examine three separate lifetime examples against one another. As always, we welcome your visit to the gallery (by appointment only) to view these and other examples in person.
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 11/16” H (28.9 cm x 18 cm x 14.6 cm)
Condition Report:
Some handling wear to the raised elements, including the ridge of the bull's back, the tips of the horns, some light wear around the base. Carefully cleaned in-house and sealed in conservator grade wax; a fine presentation.