ISIDORE BONHEUR

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Isidore Jules Bonheur (1827–1901)

French Painter and Animalier Sculptor

Isidore Jules Bonheur was born on May 15, 1827, in Bordeaux, France, and died on November 19, 1901, in Paris. A gifted sculptor and painter, he is best known for his dynamic bronze animal sculptures, which brought him international acclaim in the 19th century. He belonged to a renowned artistic family and was the younger brother of celebrated painter Rosa Bonheur.

Biography

Isidore was the third child of the painter Raymond Bonheur (1796–1849) and Sophie Marquis (1797–1833). His sister Rosa became one of the most famous female artists of the 19th century, while his brother Auguste also pursued a career in painting. Following the death of their mother in 1833, Raymond remarried Marguerite Peyrol (née Picard), who was the mother of François Hippolyte Peyrol, a future bronze founder who would later play a major role in casting Isidore’s works.

Bonheur initially trained in painting under his father and sister Rosa. He enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1849, but after exhibiting a painting titled African Horseman Attacked by a Lioness at the Salon of 1848, he gradually turned his focus to sculpture—especially animalier works.

His 1850 sculpture Combat de Taureaux (Bull Fight) attracted considerable attention at the Salon, establishing his reputation as a master of animal subjects. Over his long career, Bonheur won several medals at the Paris Salons and was awarded a gold medal at the 1889 Exposition Universelle.

Honors and Distinctions

• Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur (France)

• Chevalier of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain)
  
  

Selected Public Collections

United States

• Walters Art Museum, Baltimore: Goose Drinking from a Bucket, bronze

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Jockey on Horseback, ca. 1877, bronze statuette

• Dahesh Museum of Art, New York:

  • The Horse Fair Salon, 1901, after Rosa Bonheur, bronze bas-relief

  • Plowing in the Nivernais, 1901, after Rosa Bonheur, bronze bas-relief
    
    

France

• Musée des Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux:
  
  

  • Cow Defending Her Calf from a Wolf, ca. 1858, bronze

  • Fox on the Lookout, 1899, marble

  • Wax models: Dog and Bull
    
    

• Château de Fontainebleau: Zebra Attacked by a Panther, 1855, bronze
  
  

• Musée d’Orsay, Paris:

  • Arab Horseman Carrying Two Lion Cubs, ca. 1875, bronze

  • Bear, Tiger, Fox at Rest, Greyhound Galloping with Hare, all bronze
    
    

• Parc Georges-Brassens, Paris: The Bulls, 1865, iron cast displayed at the 1878 Exposition Universelle
  
  

• Longchamp Racecourse, Paris: Gladiator, equestrian statue, 1866
  
  

• Centre Hospitalier Sainte-Anne, Paris: Gladiator on Horseback, posthumous bronze casting, 1902
  
  

• Mobilier National, Paris: Stag, Doe, and Fawn Walking, bronze
  
  

• Various regional museums, including in Nantes, Périgueux, Saint-Dizier, Toul
  
  

International

• National Museum, Warsaw, Poland: Bull, ca. 1865, bronze

• Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts, Russia: Return from the Weigh-In, equestrian bronze

• Kadıköy District, Istanbul, Turkey: The Bull, 1864, public bronze monument
  
  

Legacy

Isidore Jules Bonheur is regarded as one of the leading animalier sculptors of the 19th century. His work is celebrated for its anatomical accuracy, emotional power, and sense of movement. Many of his bronzes were cast by the Peyrol foundry, operated by his brother-in-law François Hippolyte Peyrol, ensuring exceptional quality and detail. His pieces remain highly sought after by collectors and institutions worldwide.