Sheep in the Highlands

Discover the captivating realism of Rosa Bonheur's lesser-known masterpiece.

The Wallace Collection

Sheep in the Highlands (1857) by Rosa Bonheur The Wallace Collection

This is Rosa Bonheur's Sheep in the Highlands .

Compared with bigger and bolder paintings, this small and modest canvas might easily be overlooked. Its subject matter is neither heroic, nor its scale ambitious. But look again. What you’ll find it lacks in stature it makes up for in meticulous attention to detail.

Closer inspection rewards you with almost tangible details of a beautiful and wild Highland terrain. The sheep’s woolly fleeces are subtly illuminated by an overcast sky with its scudding, shape-shifting clouds. The animals are the heroes here and take centre stage.

The Horse Fair (1852–55) by Rosa Bonheur The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Horse Fair was shown at the Paris Salon of 1853. The influential art dealer, Ernest Gambart, arranged a foreign tour for Bonheur and her painting which led her to international fame and fortune. During her Highlands trip she was captivated by Scotland’s breath-taking scenery.

Permission to Cross dress for Rosa Bonheur (1857) by Préfecture de police de Paris The Wallace Collection

To avoid unwanted attention in the masculine horse market, Bonheur applied to the police for a certificate permitting her to wear trousers. This testifies to the constraints in which women lived and worked, reminding us that her success at the Paris Salon was remarkable.

Sheep in the Highlands (1857) by Rosa Bonheur The Wallace Collection

Rosa Bonheur became France’s leading animal painter and her wealth enabled her to create a menagerie which even included lions. Despite her passion for animals, her work never resorted to sentimentality and it’s her dedication to realism which makes this painting so evocative.

Portrait Photograph of Rosa Bonheur (1900) by Musée Rosa Bonheur The Wallace Collection

Bonheur was trained by her artist-father - a Saint-Simonian committed to women’s education - and her great skill enabled her to rise above social constraints. She was the recipient of key awards and commissions and was the first woman to become Officer of the Legion of Honour.

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The Wallace Collection

The Metropolitan Museum of Art