The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-11-26
AFAMOUS PICTURE
Rosa Bonheur's Stirring Master.
piece, 1.-The Horse Fair"
A PRIZE THAT FRANCE LOST,
The Artists Native Land Permitted
the Great Canvas to Find a Home In
This Countrywide Story Of the
Painting and Its Repieas.

| One of the chief glories of the Metro
| pOlitan museum in New York is Rosa
| BOnheurS stirring masterpiece. The
Horse Fair, u picture VIII h for its
Irresistible movement and living p,r-
| traiture of mans most useful Ir.c..d
holds a unique position in the annals
of art and the affections of lovers OF
| paintings.
| Few, however, are acquainted with
the intimate history of that notable
canvas, and fewer still are aware that
there are no less than five horse fair
pictures in existence. The one in New
York is the original and, it will he re-
membered. was first the property of \.
| T. Stewart and then purchased for the
Metropolitan by Cornelius Vanderbilt
for 100000 francs
! 1t was painted in Paris. the models
| used being the horses of the Paris ON
nibus company and few animals
studied at the horse market Of the
French capital. 1t was first exhibited
at the salon Of 1853. but went back to
the artist unsold.
| A part Of the further history of the
famous painting Is recorded 10y Ernest
| Gambart in his manuscript iuelaoirs.
which have been freely drawn upon
for the "Reminiscences OF Rosa BON
heur:"
| "After the closing of the 1893 Paris
salon The Horse Fair was inrruSted
! to the Society of Artists Of Ghent for
exhibition in that town. where il had
great success. but whence it also
| 4 v,,.i., ~
! 1854 l expressed to Mile. Ronhcur the
desire to buy it from her. At that time
| it was in Bordeaux. her native town.
| Her preference was that the munic
| ipality should purchase it for the city
museum, and price OF 1900 francs
| had been mentioned ut which the town
authorities might acquire it. But she
| said to me that il the canvas came
| back to her again she would let me
| have it. However. she could not let
| it go to England for less than 10000
| francs.
| Il uuhesitatinSly accepted the bar
gain, and ii was agreed that the pic
ture should be mine unless sold to
| Bordeaux AS the picture was back
in her studio again in the following
year. told Mile Bonheur that l
wished to take it at once in order to
have it in my 1853 exhibition and that
I should like to have 1t engraved by
| Thomas Landseer. the celebrated en-
graver and brother to the painter.
"She was delighted at the idea Of
the picture being engraved and said to
me: 4 have asked you 10000 francs
for my picture although in France
cannot get 1900, and l am pleased at
your cOnsenting to my terms. On the
other hand. l don't mean to take un-
due advantage Of your liberality. How
can We arrange matters? Let us see.
, Well, the picture Is very large. and It
will be difficult to find place for 1t
. in an engraver'S studio. Resides, you
want to exhibit it, Wouldn't it be bet
ter for me to paint you a smaller
copy?"
| That suggestion she carried out and
explains how the second canvas came
| into existence. That smaller copy was
the one from which Landseer's we'll
known steel engraving was made and
is the picture which is in the British
National gallery.
When she heard that it had become
the property of the British nation
, Mile BonheUr decided to make a third
copy. thinking the second was not
good enough for the London collection;
hence The Horse Fair" No. 3. But
the National gallery authorities were
not able to accept the substitute, as
the painting which it was designed to
replace had been given to them as
trustees.
! Besides these three. Mile. Bonheur
executed a water color replica and
drawing based on large photograph.
OF all these however, the picture in
the Metropolitan is by far the finest
work. which is only as it should be in
view Of the fact that the artist always
found her best public in America.
This was recalled to her detriment
when the rosette Of the Legion of Hon
or was requested in her behalf. she
has ceased exhibiting at the salon.,
objected the president. ''and sells IN
America everything she paints. The
complete answer to that was that the
French government had had the op-
portunity TO buy The Horse Fair"
but had neglected it.-Argonaut.