A Limier Briquet Hound

Bred for their utility as hunters and as status symbols for the elite – hunting with dogs on horseback was often considered a gentleman's sport – hounds were prized by their owners. Rosa Bonheur gained a reputation for portraying domesticated animals, both everyday farm animals and those with a more aristocratic pedigree such as this dog owned by a French nobleman. Her rendering, particularly the dog’s raised tail and upward pointed snout, shows the animal's liveliness and alertness. The slight low angle of the image makes the small dog appear monumental, while the highlights in its eyes impart a sentimental quality. Bonheur herself kept an extensive menagerie.

Painting