The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1910-11-24
AFAMOUS PICTURE
Rosa Bonheur's Stirring Master
piece, '.The Horse Fair"
A PRIZE THAT FRANCE LOST.

A PRIZE THAT FRANCE LOST.
The Artists Native Land Permitted
the Great Canvas to Find Home In
This Countrywide Story Of the
Painting and It's Replicas.
One of the chief glories of the Metro
politan museum in New York is Rosa
Bonheur's stirring masterpiece, '"The
Horse Fair" picture which for its
irresistible movement and living por-
traiture of mans most useful friend
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 be re-
| membered, was first the property of A.
T. Stewart and then purchased for the
| Metropolitan by Cornelius Vanderbilt
for 100000 francs
It was painted in Paris, the models
used being the horses Of the Paris ON
nibus company and a few animals
studied at the horse market of the
French capital. 1t was first exhibited
at the salon Of 1858, but went back to
the artist unsold.
A part of the further history of the
famous painting is recorded by Ernest
Gambart in his manuscript memoirs,
which have been freely drawn upon
for the "Reminiscences Of Rosa Bon
heur:"
"After the closing of the 1853 Paris
salon The Horse Fair was intrusted
to the Society Of Artists of Client for
| exhibition in that town, where it had
| a great success, but whence it also
| came back unsold. In the spring Of
1854 I expressed to Mile. Bonheur 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 a price Of $4,000 francs
had been mentioned at which the town
authorities might acquire it. But she
said to me that if 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.
II unhesitatingly accepted the bar
gain, and it 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, I told Mile. Bonheur that I
wished to take it at once in order to
have it in my 1855 exhibition and that
I should like to have it 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: I have asked you 10000 francs
for my picture, although in France
cannot get $4,000, and am pleased at
your consenting to my terms. On the
other hand, I don't mean to take I'M
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 a place for it
in an engraver's studio. Besides, 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
| md
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. 8. 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 water color replica and a
drawing based on a 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-
portun1ty to buy '"The Horse Fail"
but had neglected it-Argonaut.