Sheet of Sketches (recto)
1819
Théodore Géricault
Théodore Géricault (French, 1791–1824)
Drawings
Sheet of Sketches (recto), 1819. Théodore Géricault (French, 1791–1824). Pen and ink; sheet: 22.8 x 35 cm (9 x 13 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Dudley P. Allen Fund 1964.28.a The inscription at the upper left of the sheet states that Géricault executed these studies at the spring of the Magdelaine, near the forest of Fontainebleau, which he visited in 1819. The male figures closely resemble the earlier studies he made while in Italy of peasants during horse races at annual Roman carnivals. Here, men struggle to keep control of their unseen animals during the moments before the race. The verso female figures, visible though the paper, derive directly from Pompeiian paintings of bacchanals, or revelers participating in festivals honoring Bacchus, the god of wine. Géricault died at a young age and had a professional career lasting only just over a decade.
- Maker/Artist
- Géricault, Théodore
- Classification
- Drawing
- Formatted Medium
- pen and ink
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 22.8 x 35 cm (9 x 13 3/4 in.)
- Departments
- Drawings
- Accession Number
- 1964.28.a
- Credit Line
- Dudley P. Allen Fund
- Exhibitions
- Drawn to the Body: The Human Figure and the Graphic Arts, 1500-1900, Stories From Storage, Nineteenth-Century French Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art
- Rights Statement
- CC0
- Museum Location
- 101B Prints & Drawings
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