The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Stag Lying Down

Stag Lying Down

c. 1875–85
(French, 1822–1899)
France, 19th century
watercolor and gouache over graphite on cream wove paper
Sheet: 28 x 38.1 cm (11 x 15 in.)
James Parmelee Fund 1977.3
Catalogue raisonné: Roger-Milés 934
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Bonheur constructed a park to house a stag named Jacques, whom she kept as a pet and model.

Description

This drawing was among many representing stags that were discovered in Rosa Bonheur’s studio after her death. One of the few women of her time who was given the support needed for an artistic career, Bonheur became famous during her lifetime for naturalistic portrayals of animals. Daily carriage rides through the forest around her home enabled her to sketch from nature. One such outing inspired Cleveland’s drawing: Bonheur’s companion recalled “a stag . . . with the sun playing on him through the leaves . . . [who] remained perfectly still.” Watercolor was ideal for such improvisatory studies, allowing Bonheur to work outdoors alongside the subjects she treasured.
  • c. 1860-1899
    studio of the artist [1822-1899]
    1900
    (her sale, Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, June 5-8, 1900, no. 934)
    (Gerald Norman Gallery, London, sold to Shepherd Gallery, New York)
    ?-1977
    (Shepherd Gallery, New York, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH)
    1977-
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Roger-Milès, M. L[éon]. Atelier Rosa Bonheur. Paris: Georges Petit, 1900. Mentioned: vol. 2, p. 11, no. 934
    Stanton, Theodore. Reminiscences of Rosa Bonheur. New York: Hacker, 1976. Mentioned: p. 299
    Non-Dissenters: Fifth Exhibition. Exh. cat. New York: Shepherd Gallery, 1976. Mentioned and reproduced: no. 16
    Klumpke, Anna. Rosa Bonheur: The Artist’s (Auto)biography. Translated by Gretchen van Slyke. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1997. Mentioned: p. 280
  • Nineteenth-Century French Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 20-April 30, 2023).
    French Drawings from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 13, 1994-March 12, 1995).
    Year in Review: 1977. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 28, 1977-January 22, 1978).
    Non-Dissenters: Fifth Exhibition. Shepherd Gallery, New York (November 1–December 31, 1976).
  • {{cite web|title=Stag Lying Down|url=false|author=Rosa Bonheur|year=c. 1875–85|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1977.3