Constant Troyon

Boussod, Valadon & Cie., Paris

Governor Oliver Ames, Boston

Mrs. Winthrop Brown

J.H. Wainright

James H. Clark

John Levy Galleries, New York

Findlay Galleries, Chicago, 1956

Morrie A. Moss, Memphis, Tennessee (until 1953)

Troyon’s earliest paintings consisted primarily of landscapes; however, after a trip to Holland in 1847, he found inspiration in the works of the two great 17th century animal painters, Albert Cuyp and Paulus Potter. When he returned to France, Troyon concentrated on animal paintings, and the Salon of 1849 saw his first entry devoted to this genre. By the time he died in 1865, Troyon was considered one of the greatest animal painters of the 19th century. Rounding up the Sheep confirms this status. Not only has Troyon expertly captured the thick, wiry wool of the sheep and the coarse black coat of the herding dog, but he also has conveyed the movement and energy of the subject, which he most likely observed first-hand in the French countryside.

The first American owner of Rounding up the Sheep was Governor Oliver Ames of Boston. The Ames family, together with other wealthy Bostonians, assembled one of the finest private collections of Barbizon paintings in the late 19th century. After changing hands several times, the painting ended up in the collection of Morrie Moss in Memphis, Tennessee. Mr. Moss, a well-known philanthropist, gave the work to Christian Brothers University in 1953 (Please see lots 26 and 127).