Louis Robert HEYRAULT (active between 1840 and 1880) The Count of Osmond's pack of dogs at the kennels of the Château de la Vénerie Oil on canvas Signed 'Louis Heyrauld' upper left (Restorations, probably once mounted on a wall) No frame Count Osmond's pack of dogs at the kennel of the Château de la Vénerie, oil on canvas, signed, by L. R. Heyrault 61.61 x 165.15 in. 156.5 x 419.5 cm Provenance: Commissioned by the Count of Osmond around 1857 for his Château de la Vénerie at Champlemy in the Allier; Probably sold with the château in 1878 to Baron Georges de Balorre (1856-1936), who kept the kennels until at least 1892; Private collection, Sologne Count Rainulphe d'Osmond (1829-1891) was a colourful figure in the history of French venery. A perfect gentleman, horse breeder, outstanding horseman, spiritualist, composer and musician, this high society figure remained famous for his passion for hunting and his hunting stories, of which Les hommes des bois and A la billebaude are the most famous. In 1857, he sold the Château de Pontchartrain he had inherited from his parents and had the Château de Champlemy built in the Nièvre region. The latter was designed entirely as a hunting lodge. He commissioned Louis Heyrault to paint eight large hunting pictures, including the one we are showing today. Down to the smallest detail - the door knobs were adorned with the crew knob in the centre - this property was dedicated to the cult of hunting. The boatswain's standards were boundless, both for the interior décor of his house, which he had designed entirely himself, and for his crew: the horses were excellent, the pickers remarkable (including the famous Adolphe), and the dogs prizewinners at the Universal Exhibition of 1865 (fig.1). Following a shooting accident in 1850 - when his rifle exploded - he lost his left forearm and hand, but this did not prevent him from continuing his hunts and spending his immense fortune on this passion, which, as every horseman knows, is devastating! In 1878, he sold the Château de la Vénerie and two thousand hectares of the Charnouveau and Garennes forests to Baron Georges de Balorre. We know that, in addition to vultures, the Earl of Osmond hunted with a pack of 25 beagle-hounds built up for hares between 1856 and 1865. Even if the painter's brush is not always faithful, it is highly likely that our pack of dogs is this one. In fact, with their short muzzles, the number of dogs shown on our canvas is ... 25! We would like to thank Mr Bernard Tollu for the wealth of information he provided and for his help in writing this note. Louis Robert HEYRAULT (Active between 1840 and 1880) 156.5 x 419.5 cm