19th-Century Works of Art: Featuring Works from The Muriel S. and Noah L. Butkin Collection Sold to Benefit the Cleveland Museum of Art
19th-Century Works of Art: Featuring Works from The Muriel S. and Noah L. Butkin Collection Sold to Benefit the Cleveland Museum of Art
PROPERTY FROM THE MURIEL S. AND NOAH L. BUTKIN COLLECTION, SOLD TO BENEFIT THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART
Rosa Bonheur
Head of an Ewe
Lot Closed
May 24, 02:03 PM GMT
Estimate
7,000 - 9,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property from the Muriel S. and Noah L. Butkin Collection, Sold to Benefit the Cleveland Museum of Art
Rosa Bonheur
French
1822-1899
Head of an Ewe
signed Rosa Bonheur (lower left); with the red wax seal of the Vente Rosa Bonheur (Lugt 276) on the stretcher
oil on canvas
canvas: 8 by 7 in.; 20 by 18 cm
framed: 12 ¾ by 12 in.; 32.5 by 30.5 cm
Annie-Paule Quinsac has generously confirmed the authenticity of this lot.
Artist's estate
Vente Rosa Bonheur, Georges Petit, Paris, 30 May 1900 (the number is no longer traceable)
The Muriel S. and Noah L. Butkin Collection
This endearing portrait of an ewe, an older female sheep in profile looking out with a reproachful eye, likely began as a larger composition which was subsequently cut down to a nearly square size. The canvas was probably restretched on a new stretcher, onto which the original red wax vente seal was glued. None of the works listed in the posthumous sale catalogue match the description and dimensions of the painting in its present state. Bonheur captures the animal’s resigned sense of fatigue, suggesting a psychological dimension, realized in the slightly sagging and transparent flesh, silvery gray fleece, and skeletal face, that belies Bonheur’s advanced anatomical knowledge and keen sense of awareness in conveying her subject’s particular personality.