Sign in or join

Cattle at Rest on a Hillside in the Alps, Rosa Bonheur
Cattle at Rest on a Hillside in the Alps, 1885

Rosa Bonheur

1822–1899 · Realism · 11 works

Rosa Bonheur made animals the central subjects of an internationally successful painting career. Close study of anatomy and behavior supported her ability to describe both the strength of a moving horse and the weight of a resting cow. The Horse Fair won acclaim at the Paris Salon of 1853, bringing an animal subject onto a scale associated with ambitious history painting. Smaller paintings and preparatory drawings offer another pace of looking. A change in an ear, hoof, or head can distinguish an individual creature within a herd or suggest what it might do next.

Spot an error?

Walk all 11 worksView in the Atlas

11 works · 1842–1899

Compare the crowded movement in The Horse Fair with Cattle at Rest. How do the animals’ legs and heads establish the pace of each scene?

1842–1899 · 3 works

Walk these 3

1856–1880 · 3 works

Walk these 3

1870–1885 · 5 works

Walk these 5
View all artists

Shared styles, periods, or traditions in the collection.

Original museum reproductions, with source records on every artwork page.

Artist information: National Gallery, London, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago.

Public-domain art. An imagined museum; no museum affiliation.