Famous Top 10 Rosa Bonheur Paintings

Marie-Rosalie Bonheur (born March 16, 1822, in Bordeaux, France - died May 25, 1899, in Thomery, France) was a renowned 19th-century French painter celebrated for her realistic genre and animal landscapes featuring people and animals. In honor of this brilliant woman, a crater on the planet Venus bears her name.

Her love of painting was nurtured by her father, Raymond Bonheur, a landscape and drawing master who was also her only teacher in the world of art. As a fervent socialist whose political beliefs focused on fighting for equality between men and women, he fully supported his daughter in all her ideas and endeavors. From an early age, Rosa realized that animals would become the central theme of her work, much like the artists celebrated today on TryArtWork.

By the age of 19, she had already become a professional painter and was able to exhibit two of her works in Bordeaux for the first time. In the 19th century, this was a rare achievement, as few women could receive a proper education. Meanwhile, beyond Rosa’s brothers - Auguste, who became a painter, and Isidore-Jules, a sculptor - her younger sister Juliette also embraced painting and became a well-known artist.

After an unsuccessful attempt to work as a seamstress, Rosa’s father decided to teach her painting. Encouraging her passion for animals, he brought them into the family studio so she could study them from life. She also observed domestic and wild animals independently, spending much time on pastures near Paris and in the fields and forests of Villiers. To master anatomy and bodily structures, she studied animals at the slaughterhouse and the Paris Veterinary Institute.

Throughout her career, Rosa Bonheur was awarded numerous medals for her landscapes. While in Scotland, she met Queen Victoria, who admired her works, and in 1864 she was invited by Empress Eugénie of France to dine with Emperor Napoleon III. After her father’s death, Rosa took his place as a teacher at a girls’ drawing school, where young female artists could receive free education. Thanks to her success, in 1859 she moved to the Château de By near Fontainebleau, where she remained until her death and where today a museum dedicated to her name is located.

In 1899, the elderly artist fell ill with pneumonia after a walk in the forest in early spring and died two days later. She was buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. Rosa Bonheur lived to the age of 77 and during her artistic life created a vast number of beautiful animal paintings, many of which are preserved in museums around the world.

We present ten of Rosa Bonheur’s most famous paintings - works that brought her worldwide fame and recognition.

The Horse Fair (1853)

Rosa Bonheur began painting The Horse Fair in 1852, and a year later (in 1853) it was first exhibited at the Paris Salon. She later made some revisions to the canvas in 1855. Today it is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA.

On the canvas, the artist depicts dealers who have driven horses to the Paris horse market on Boulevard de l’Hôpital to sell them. On the left stands the Salpêtrière Hospital. For greater expressive effect, she departed from the classical way of painting a horse’s eye, employing a technique of anthropomorphism. Dealers on foot and on horseback, riding horses of various colors, drive the herd toward the place of sale. Some art historians have suggested that one of the central figures, who looks directly at the viewer, is in fact a self-portrait of Rosa Bonheur herself. The painting is executed in bright, saturated colors that convey with maximum realism the dynamism and movement of the herd and the people controlling it. This large-scale canvas is rightly considered proto-cinematic and holds a special place in the artist’s oeuvre.

Rosa Bonheur, who often carried out commissions for the official French government, presented to the Duke de Morny the minister of fine arts - two proposals for future paintings: “The Horse Fair” and “Haymaking in Auvergne.” Although Charles de Morny initially chose the second option, the artist continued work on “The Horse Fair,” and after the painting received excellent reviews at the exhibition, he changed his attitude toward the canvas.

Ploughing in the Nivernais (1849)

Ploughing in the Nivernais (Ploughing in the Nivernais) was created in 1849 as a government commission and received a medal that same year at the Paris Salon. Today it is housed in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

In the painting, the artist depicts oxen ploughing a field. The work expresses the painter’s deep respect for the labor of people and animals of the land, and was likely inspired by the opening episode of George Sand’s 1846 novel The Devil’s Pool. In Nivernais - a historic region near Nevers - Charolais oxen were bred at the time, and they played a special role in the agricultural revolution that took place in this region in the nineteenth century.

On the canvas we see two teams of six oxen each, driven by men as they perform the autumn ploughing on a warm, sunny day. The workers play a minor role in the composition and are almost entirely concealed behind the massive bodies of the animals. At the center are the freshly turned earth and the oxen; behind them stretches a landscape of green fields and trees beneath a clear blue sky. In its simplicity and handling of light, the painting recalls the works of Dutch masters such as Paulus Potter, whom Rosa Bonheur studied extensively during her artistic training.

Haymaking in the Auvergne (1855)

The painting Haymaking in the Auvergne was created in 1855 and today is housed in the famous Palace of Fontainebleau near Paris. In the artwork, the artist depicted people loading freshly cut hay onto a cart drawn by four oxen. A man in a wide-brimmed hat guides the animals with a stick, while other workers - men and women - mow the grass. Two men pass it with pitchforks to a woman sitting on top of the haystack, carefully arranging it into tight bundles.

The painting symbolizes the hard yet unifying process of haymaking: endless green meadows under a clear blue sky, warmed by the sun’s rays. This work received a gold medal at the Paris World Exhibition and was purchased by the French government for 20,000 francs; and to explore more of the artist’s creative range, visit the collection of Rosa Bonheur art, where her key masterpieces are presented.

Sheep by the Sea (1865)

The animal painting Sheep by the Sea, created in 1865 in the Realist style, is now housed at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.

The canvas shows two clusters of sheep - seven animals in all - lying on the green grass of a seaside meadow. In the foreground, two adult sheep and a lamb rest on the ground facing one another. Behind them, four adult sheep lie with their backs to the viewer, relaxing after a day’s grazing. In the background, gentle sea waves lap against rocks that rise from the water. It is likely evening on the coast: the lightly clouded sky shows no sun, as it is about to sink into twilight. The entire scene evokes a sense of calm and tranquility.

The Wounded Eagle (c. 1870)

The Wounded Eagle was painted in 1870 in an animal realist style and is now in the Los Angeles Museum of Art (USA).

On the canvas, the artist depicts a wounded eagle, likely shot by hunters. The bird dominates the center of the painting, its vast wings outstretched as it soars upward in its death throes. Near its right wing, blood can be seen seeping from a fresh wound. The eagle’s eyes convey utter despair. The sky through which the wounded bird flies is rendered in whites and blues that, toward the bottom of the canvas, shift into muddy grays and pinks. It is likely that Rosa Bonheur witnessed a proud eagle being shot during a hunt and chose to immortalize this sorrowful moment on her canvas.

King of the Forest (1878)

King of the Forest was painted in 1878 and is today held in a private collection. The landscape, executed in the style of animism and realism, depicts a nocturnal forest rendered in cobalt and dark tones.

In the foreground, among small shrubs and tall grass, stands a young, strong, long-legged stag with branching antlers, proudly gazing into the distance. He is likely the leader of his herd, as three younger deer - possibly females, since they have not yet grown antlers - follow behind him. They wait patiently for permission to move forward, while the stag pauses to scan the surroundings for any dangers that might threaten the safe passage of his inexperienced companions.

The proud animal’s eyes reveal a determination to face any enemy who might dare disturb their calm progress. The scene most likely represents summer, as even in the twilight of night the viewer can discern tall green grass with shrubs, as well as the lush crowns of trees left behind the animals. The night sky is cloudless, and an atmosphere of profound stillness reigns throughout the scene.

El Cid (1879)

El Cid was painted in 1879 and is now housed in the Prado National Museum in Madrid, Spain.

The canvas, created in the style of animalism and realism, depicts the head of a lion - the king of beasts - against a blue sky with faint, slightly blurred mountain peaks in the distance. The lion gazes proudly forward, and his yellow eyes reflect determination and fearlessness. The artist masterfully conveyed a lifelike image of this wild creature, the leader of the pride. In the lion’s fiery-red mane, the viewer can see every strand of hair, carefully and precisely rendered by Bonheur’s skillful brush. This is truly an epic painting, filled with breathtaking presence and the indestructible power of this magnificent animal.

Rosa Bonheur loved to depict animals in their natural habitat, which is why animalism became the central theme of her creative career. For those inspired by such depictions, our reproduction gallery also offers works by other artists who portrayed animals with the same passion and detail, giving visitors an opportunity to explore a wider artistic perspective.

Weaning the Calves (1897)

Weaning the Calves was painted in 1879 and is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (USA).

The landscape, executed in an animalier, Realist style, depicts the process of weaning calves from their mother. In the foreground, we see a large horned cow that the peasants have separated from five small calves with a makeshift wooden fence so the young animals can learn to live independently. The livestock of various coats are rendered in brown and russet tones.

Behind them stands a small stone structure with a wooden, thatched roof - likely a place where the herders rest. A little farther off, on hilly ground with sparse green grass, four more cows graze, and in the distance a ridge of mountain peaks is visible. The animals are on free range, as the dwellings of people are presumably nearby, though they are not shown in the painting. The artist has carefully delineated even the tiniest details - so characteristic of her work - creating an exceptionally realistic depiction of all the figures and the natural landscape on the canvas.

The Lion at Home (1881)

The Lion at Home was painted in 1881 and is now in the Ferens Art Gallery in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

This animalier landscape depicts a family of lions resting in the shade of green shrubbery. The head of the pride - the male lion - lies beside his lioness, his forepaws stretched forward and his head proudly raised, his piercing gaze fixed into the distance. He radiates strength and a sense of responsibility for the lives of his offspring. Beside him, the lioness reclines on the ground, turning her head toward three small cubs lying peacefully by her hind legs. The little ones have likely just drunk their fill of milk and are now resting.

Before the viewer is an image of parents who are both powerful and caring - elegant wild creatures rightly regarded as monarchs of the animal kingdom. Every detail is rendered with utmost realism, allowing us to see even the tiniest folds and the play of light and shadow across the animals’ bodies.

The Highland Shepherd (1859)

The Highland Shepherd was painted in 1859 and is now in the Hamburger Kunsthalle in Hamburg, which hosts temporary exhibitions of renowned artists’ paintings.

On the canvas, the artist presents a genre scene depicting a Scottish shepherd in traditional attire - a kilt, a green tartan plaid thrown over his shoulder bearing the clan pattern, long woolen hose, a tam-o’-shanter with a pompom, and a shirt. Tucked under his arm he holds a shepherd’s crook for driving rams and sheep.

Behind him a flock of sheep and rams moves along peacefully, urged from the side by a sheepdog. The man walks at the head of the flock, knowing the animals obediently follow him and entrusting their safety to the dog, trained to watch them and keep them from straying.

White sheep and rams with black and white faces follow their shepherd across the plain, nibbling fresh green grass as they go. In the background, the artist has rendered misty mountain peaks that seem to buttress a sky filled with gray, billowing clouds. No human settlements are visible, as the shepherd and his flock have apparently gone far out onto the pastures where the richest grass and greenery can be found for the sheep.

Rosa Bonheur’s art and her contribution to 19th-century animalier art

Unlike other artists working in the style of animalism, Rosa Bonheur did not attempt to humanize animals in her paintings. Instead, she sought to show their uniqueness and natural individuality. Her goal was to create works that fully reflected reality and her vision of the animal world.

Rosa Bonheur’s representative was her art dealer Ernest Gambart (1814-1902), who first brought her paintings to Great Britain in 1855. Later, he purchased the rights to produce reproductions of her works. Many engravings of Bonheur’s paintings were created after reproductions by C. G. Lewis, one of the finest engravers of the 19th century.

A large number of Rosa Bonheur’s works that had never been publicly exhibited were sold at a Paris auction in 1900. For instance, her painting Monarchs of the Forest was purchased for $200,000 at one such auction in 2008. Alongside other 19th-century realists, Bonheur fell into relative obscurity throughout most of the 20th century. In 1978, one critic even described her most famous painting, Ploughing in the Nivernais, as completely forgotten, only occasionally resurfacing from oblivion. However, that same year the painting was included in a series of works sent by the French government to China for the exhibition French Landscape and Peasant, 1820-1905. From that moment, interest in Bonheur’s art rose significantly.

Today, her paintings are preserved in many museums around the world, where audiences can enjoy the genius of this remarkable woman. To better understand the broader context of 19th-century realism, it is also worth exploring works by other masters of the era, such as those highlighted in the Famous Top 10 Edouard Manet Paintings.