작품 상세

Percival Leonard Rosseau (American/Louisiana, 1859-1937), "Irish Setter", 1932, charcoal on paper, signed and dated lower right, 27 1/4 in. x 39 1/4 in., matted and framed. Note: Percival Leonard Rosseau was born in 1859 in Pointe Coupée Parish, Louisiana. After his parents and two older brothers were killed and Sherman destroyed the family plantation during the Civil War, he and his sister were rescued by a slave and raised by a family friend in Kentucky. After exploring a career as an importer in New Orleans and a cowboy along the Chisholm Trail, Rosseau surprised his associates and friends by leaving for Paris to enroll in the Académie Julian at the age of thirty-five. In the Paris Salon of 1903, his painting featuring Diana with two Irish Wolfhounds received much positive attention, particularly for the two dogs in the composition. The following year he would exhibit two paintings of setters which proved hugely popular. This trend set Rosseau’s trajectory as a highly respected and sought-after painter of dogs, and he was a favorite among prominent sportsmen such as Percy Rockefeller and Clarence Mackay. In the lot offered here, Rosseau’s attention to detail and mastery of the canine form is on full display. Even with the restriction of the black and white palette, he is able to perfectly convey the posture, fur, and sinewy articulations of the dog in mid-hunt. Ref.: “Percival Leonard Rosseau.” William Secord Gallery. www.dogpainting.com. Accessed July 27, 2017.