Breton Bull, French Cattle Breed, Antique Chromolithograph by Borie, 1863

An original antique chromolithograph, printed in color, lettered "RACE BRETONNE, TAUREAU." and published in Paris about 1863 in Victor Borie's Animaux de la Ferme, Espèce Bovine. A small, compact bull stands in profile facing left, his head, neck and forequarters black and the body white with large black patches across the barrel and hindquarters. Short horns sit close to the curly poll, the legs are white, and the tail hangs to a pale switch. He stands on a sandy ground with a soft gray shadow.

The sheet is headed "ANIMAUX DE LA FERME, ESPÈCE BOVINE." (Farm Animals, Cattle), with the imprint "Lib. Agricole de la Maison Rustique, rue Jacob, 26, à Paris." at upper left and "par Victor Borie." at upper right. The caption below the image translates as "Breton breed, bull", and the printer's line "Imp. Zanote, rue des Boulangers, 13, Paris." runs at lower left. The drawing is also signed in the stone with the artist's script signature at lower left. The signature is that of the French animal painter Olivier de Penne (Charles Olivier de Penne, 1831 to 1897).

The plate shows the small, hardy cattle of Brittany in the northwest of France. Borie's album is a survey in colored portraits of the cattle breeds of France, together with British and other foreign breeds, issued in Paris by the Librairie Agricole de la Maison Rustique of 26 rue Jacob, a publisher of books on farming and rural life. Each animal is drawn broadside against a plain ground, the convention of the livestock portrait, so that the build, coat and horns of the breed can be read and compared from plate to plate.

With its soft printed tints and clear lettering, the plate suits a simple frame and a light mount in a kitchen, study or country dining room.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.