The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 4, 2024

Study of a Horse

Study of a Horse

c. 1825–30
(French, 1798–1863)
France, 19th century
Pen and brown ink on cream laid paper
Image: 17.1 x 24 cm (6 3/4 x 9 7/16 in.); Sheet: 21 x 28.2 cm (8 1/4 x 11 1/8 in.)
Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift 2020.128
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Although Eugène Delacroix created a realistic representation of a horse in this drawing, the animals sometimes served as symbols for the conflict between man and nature in his work.

Description

Eugène Delacroix repeatedly depicted horses throughout his career, visiting stables to observe the animals at rest and in motion. This sheet is likely one such example made from life. Delacroix loosely sketched the horse's form, concentrating on the tension of its front legs and leaving the rest of its body loosely rendered. Through such exercises, the artist hoped to eventually master this subject.
  • ?-1863
    Estate of the artist [1798-1863; Lugt 838a]
    by 1905-?
    (Vuillier, Paris)
    ?-?
    (Patrick Perrin, Paris, sold to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Keithley, Cleveland, OH)
    ?-2020
    Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Keithley, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    2020-
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Impressionism to Modernism: The Keithley Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 11, 2022-January 8, 2023).
  • {{cite web|title=Study of a Horse|url=false|author=Eugène Delacroix|year=c. 1825–30|access-date=04 May 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2020.128