Rosa Bonheur (French, 1822–1899)
Going to Market, 1851
Oil on canvas, 19 x 27 1/4 in.
Signed and dated lower right: Rosa Bonheur 1851
2014.6

When Bonheur painted Going to Market, her reputation as an animal painter was already firmly established. The composition, peasants with their ox-drawn carts, demonstrates Bonheur’s command of animal anatomy, which she had studied at horse fairs, cattle markets, and in the family menagerie. While Bonheur won the highest artistic and governmental honors in France, her works were also greatly admired in Great Britain and the United States.

This is the seventh work by Bonheur to enter the Dahesh Museum collection.