ROSA BONHEUR
French, 1822-1899

"Boeuf Couché" (Resting Bull)

Patinated bronze | Signed "Rosa B" | conceived 1846, a lifetime cast circa 1880 | cold-stamped PEYROL to the reverse

Item # 407QKN27Z 

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 is a scarce model that our gallery very active works to source - one of the most pleasing of Rosa's exquisite models. We have had the opportunity to carry this cast two other times over the last 15 years and the gallery currently holds three lifetime casts that were just acquired over the last few months. As always, we welcome your visit to our gallery (by appointment only) to view all three together and compare the nuanced differences between each. We always fine comparing identical examples to be the most instructive way to train your eye.

The present example features rich texture captured directly from the original mold with self-evident fidelity, all elements chiseled and chased only very minimally by the Peyrol foundry. Unlike the other examples of this cast in the gallery right now, the present example has a subtle matteness that highlights the animal very differently. It is cold-stamped in tiny block letters along the back edge "PEYROL" in the typical manner for the foundry.

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 1/4” D x 5 3/4” H (28.9 cm x 18.4 cm x 14.6 cm)

Condition Report:
Very minor handling wear along the ridge of the bull's back, tips of the horns, light relieving of patina around edges of the base; carefully cleaned and sealed in conservator's wax; a fine presentation.

• Wrapping the item in several inches of heavy-duty bubble wrap with careful attention shown to pressure points, crafting the placement of the bubble wrap in a manner that allows delicate parts of the item to remain out of harm's way.
• The item is then placed into a tight-fitting carton with a void fill of either peanuts, Styrofoam, bubble wrap or a combination of the three to ensure it cannot move within the carton
• That carton is then double-boxed by placing it into an outer carton 2-3" larger on all sides with a dense void fill in the gap [note, paintings are generally not double-boxed but instead have a different packing methodology to properly protect the frame from pressure]