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Rosa Bonheur
1822-1899
Studies of Lions
ca. 1860
Black chalk on brown paper.
11 3/4 x 17 1/8 inches (298 x 435 mm)
Gift of The Christian Humann Foundation.
1990.34
Notes:
Bonheur maintained a private menagerie which included lions at the Chateau de By, near Fontainebleau, where she lived with her partner Nathalie Micas beginning in 1860. A few years earlier, in 1857, she had started devoting more attention to depicting big cats. She was eventually able to draw them regularly, up close and with great scrutiny, after those in her menagerie were tamed and could roam freely on the grounds. This study of female and male lions suggests both sustained study and casual observation of their behavior.
Inscription:
Stamped in black ink, at lower right corner, "Rosa Bonheur" (L. 275); inscribed on verso in red pencil, "1247".
Provenance:
The artist's estate; Count Christian Humann-Guilleminot (1929-1981), New York.
Associated names:
Humann, Christian, 1929-1981, former owner.
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