Rosa Bonheur Book

R A BONHEUR BY FR. CRASTRE TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY FREDERIC TABER COOPER ILLUSTRATED WITH EIGHT REPRODUCTIONS IN COLOUR 01 SCMPITCflHIJH. FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY NEW YORK PUBLISHERS ,-, , , V , V ld tei v Sll M ii PLATE I. THE UON MEDITATING Rosa Bonhcur Museum According to artists, the lion is the most difficult of all animals to paint, on account of the prodigious mobility of his physiognomy. Rosa Bonheur was able, thanks to her inimitable art, to catch and reproduce the fugitive facial expressions of the kingly beast, expressions that the artist succeeded in securing during a visit to a certain menagerie, and which she managed to record with a most surprising vigour and fidelity. IN THE SAME SERIES REYNOLDS LE BRUN VELASQUEZ CHARDIN GREU2E MILLET TURNER RAEBURN BOTTICELLI SARGENT ROMNEY CONSTABLE REMBRANDT MEMLING BELLINI FRAGONARD PRA ANGELICO DURER ROSSETTI LAWRENCE RAPHAEL HOGARTH LEIGHTON WATTEAU HOLMAN HUNT MURILLO TITIAN WATTS MILLAIS INGRES LUINI COROT FRANZ HALS DELACROIX CARLO DOLCI FRA LIPPO LIPPI GAINSBOROUGH PUVIS DE CHAVANNES TINTORETTO MEISSONIER VAN DYCK GEROME DA VINCI VERONESE WHISTLER VAN EYCK RUBENS FROMENTIN BOUCHER MANTEGNA HOLBEIN PERUGINO BURNE-JONBS HENNER CONTENTS Childhood and Youth ....... zx The First Successes ..... . . 22 The Years of Glory ....... 45 vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Plate I. The Lion Meditating .... Frontispiece Bonheur Muaeum II. The Ass ........ 14 Rosa Bonheur Studio, at By III. The Horse Fair ....... 34 National Gallery, London IV. Ploughing in the Nivernais 34 Luxembourg Museum, Pan V Ossians Dream ....... 40 Psyrai Collection VI. The Duel ....... 5 CoOectioa of Memcs, LA VTK, Loodoa VII. Tigers 60 Rout PunlTcag Stti tts t Bfy VIII . Trampling the Grain .. 70 CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH IN 1821, a young painter of brilliant promise was living in Bordeaux. His name was Raymond Bonheur. But the fairies who presided at Ms birth omitted to endow him with riches, in addition to talent. The hardships of existence compelled him to relinquish his dreams of glory and to pursue the irk some task of fflmmg his daily bread The artist XX 12 ROSA BONHEUR became a drawing master and went the rounds of private lessons. Among his pupils he made the acquaintance of a young girl, Mile. Sophie Marquis, as penniless as himself, but attractive and gentle, full of courage, and displaying exceptional ability in music. A similarity of tastes and opinions drew these two artistic natures toward each other. They fell in love, and the marriage service united their destinies. The young couple started upon married life with no other fortune than their mutual attachment and equal courage. He continued to teach drawing and she gave lessons in music. But before long she was forced to put an end to these lessons in order to devote herself to new duties. Indeed, it was less than a year after their marriage, namely on the 16th of March, 1822, that a little girl was born into the world this little girl was Rosalie Bonheur, better known under the name of Rosa Bonheur. It is not surprising in such an artistic environ ment, that the childs taste should have undergoneRead More