Rosa Bonheur: Five Key Works by the 19th-Century Animal Painter

Rosa Bonheur, the most famous painter of her era and the wealthiest artist of her time, is remembered through five significant works. Her lesser-known bronze sculpture 'A Sheep Resting' reflects her use of sculpture to study animal anatomy without dissection. Her masterpiece 'The Horse Fair' (1852-55), a 200-inch-long scene, brought instant fame; Queen Victoria requested a private viewing. Bonheur painted four smaller replicas and watercolor copies. 'Weaning the Calves' (1879) faced gender-based criticism for its perceived masculinity, with critic John Ruskin insisting no woman could paint. 'Two Horses' (1889) showcases her favorite subject; she was a skilled rider who rode astride. 'Portrait of Rosa Bonheur with a Bull' (1857) by Edouard Dubufe features a bull added by Bonheur herself. Bonheur lived with fellow painter Nathalie Micas for nearly half a century; after Micas's death, Anna Klumpke became her partner and biographer. Bonheur retired to a chateau in Fontainebleau in the late 1850s, communicating through London art dealer Ernest Gambart. Her work received more acclaim in Great Britain than in France; 'The Horse Fair' ended up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.