BONHEUR, ROSALIE (bon-er'), com monly called ROSA, a French artist, born in Bordeaux, March 22, 1822. Her studies were directed by her father, himself an artist of ability, and her first two pic tures, "Chevres et Moutons," and "Les Deux Lapins," which were exhibited in 1841, attracted much attention. In 1849 a fine work, "Labourages Nivernais," by ber, was purchased by the French Gov ernment for 3,000 francs and placed in the Luxembourg collection. In 1855 "The Haymaking Season in Auvergne" was hung at the Universal Exposition in Paris, and in the same year she sent the "Horse Fair" to the French Exhibition in London, where it was the center of at traction for the season. It is now in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. After this work she stood at the very head of delineators of animal life, show ing a wonderful power of representing spirited action. She attended horse markets and fairs; generally wearing masculine dress, to study animals. After 1849 she directed the Free School of De sign for Young Girls in Paris. During
the siege of Paris the Crown Prince of Prussia especially ordered that her studio and residence at Fontainebleau should be spared and respected. She received a first class medal at the French Salon in 1849, and another in 1855; and the dec oration of the Legion of Honor in 1865; she was made a member of the Institute of Antwerp in 1868; received the Leopold cross from the King of Belgium in 1880, and from the King of Spain the Com mander's Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic. In 1892 a cele brated painting by her, entitled "Horses Threshing Corn," was sold for $60,000. It is the largest animal picture ever painted, showing ten horses large as life. In 1896, on her 74th birthday, she fur nished a painting representing the his torical combat between two stallions to which Lord Godolphin invited his friends in 1734. She died at Fontainebleau, May 25, 1899.