The Horse Fair
- Artist: Rosa Bonheur
- Date: 1855
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is The Horse Fair by Rosa Bonheur. Brilliant white light builds up the turbulence and excitement of the scene, making the convulsion of the muscles and the flying manes almost tangible. You can feel the rearing, plunging animals and the strength and dexterity of their handlers with almost photographic reality. Notice how the magnificent white horses in the picture are Percherons, bred for hauling weights. Bonheur has captured their spirit and their world, with its noises, smells and sense of danger, making them into high art.
The original version of The Horse Fair was four times this size, painted when women artists were largely disregarded by critics. It caused a sensation at the 1853 Paris Salon, toured Britain and the US, and brought Bonheur international fame. This smaller autograph version was painted to facilitate the making of prints for sale during the tour.
The diagonal avenue of trees in the distance establishes the extent of the market and leads to the dome of the Asylum of la Salpêtrière in the background. The horses' enormous rumps have a sheen from the brilliant light, which creates an almost wild atmosphere.
See it in person
The Horse Fair hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
