A Couching Sheep in a Stable 1837 - 1899

"A Couching Sheep in a Stable" is a small, detailed charcoal drawing by the renowned French artist Rosa Bonheur. Created between 1837 and 1899, it depicts a sheep resting in a stable, showcasing Bonheur's signature style of realism and attention to animal anatomy. This intimate portrayal of a humble subject highlights the artist's mastery of light and shadow, capturing the texture of the sheep's fleece and the rough stone walls of the stable. The drawing, currently housed at the SMK - Statens Museum for Kunst, exemplifies Bonheur's early works and her lifelong fascination with animals, particularly sheep, which became a recurring motif in her later, larger-scale paintings.