Pair of Lions

A male lion takes a quiet nap while his mate keeps alert in this lovely public domain drawing of a pair of lions.

Drawing Origins

This drawing is the work of the wonderful French artist Rosa Bonhuer (1822-1899). Bonhuer was most well-known for her realistic drawings and paintings of animals. The pair of lions featured in this post are from a 1900 publication that features many of her drawings – Atelier Rosa Bonheur by Leon Roger-Miles (1859-1928).

Pair of Lions Drawing

This drawing, like so many which appeared in Roger-Miles’ book; appear to be graphite pencil drawings. The male is drawn in far greater detail than the lioness. She appears to be in the background in every way. The artist clearly spent more time on completing the male. I so enjoy finding works from outside the USA but unfortunately I am often left guessing the details of the works. This may have simply been a partially finished work. Or, Bonheur was clearly intending to draw our eye to the male. Either way, I hope you’ll find a great new home for this drawing of a pair of lions.

This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.