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11

Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899), Oil Study of the Montségur, c. 1850

Currency:EUR Category:Collectibles Start Price:3,200.00 EUR Estimated At:5,200.00 - 6,500.00 EUR
Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899), Oil Study of the Montségur, c. 1850
The present oil study was painted by the French artist Rosa Bonheur, possibly around 1850. It depicts the view of the Montségur, which is located in the eastern Pyrenees and preserves a medieval castle of the Cathars at the summit. Bonheur was a very successful animal painter in the 19th century and exhibited at the Paris Salon several times. In her later works she increasingly devoted herself to pure landscape painting; the present oil study is a beautiful example of her later interest.



The painting is in good condition considering its age. It is signed lower right ‘Rosa Bonheur’ and with a seal ‘VENTE 1900 ROSA BONHEUR’ on the stretcher. The paint surface had recent intervention; traces of the old varnish have remained on the signature. There are a few scattered abrasions visible to the naked eye. Inspection under UV light reveals some areas of retouching, especially in the sky and on the edges, which have been covered with a circulating narrow strip of paper. The wooden frame is partly leaf gilded and only shows small traces of age and use. The framed work measures 44.5 x 58.5 cm and the size of the stretcher is 27.5 x 41 cm.



Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899)

Rosa Bonheur was born in Bordeaux and represents one of the best animal painters of the 19th century. She received her artistic training from her father Raymond Bonheur (1796-1849), who was draftsman and landscape painter himself. Bonheur achieved the first successes with her depictions of cattle exhibited at the Paris Salon, in 1848/49. Only a few years later in 1853, she was acclaimed amongst the main artists of the Salon. Rosa Bonheur was a pioneer in her profession as a female painter and made her living from her artistic output. Her style is characterized by a bold realism and a great sense of well-observed nature. Amongst her major works, is to be stated the horse market, now exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The majority of her estate is preserved in the Musée de l'Atelier de Rosa Bonheur at the Château de By, close to Bordeaux.
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