Lara Blessé (Primary Title)
Wounded Lara (Translation)
Théodore Géricault, French, 1791 - 1824 (Artist)
In English Romantic poet Lord Byron’s tragic narrative poem Lara, A Tale, the eponymous Count Lara bravely fights for his country but is ultimately killed by a rival nobleman. Disguised as a male page, Lara’s mistress Khaled here assists her wounded lover as he sits astride an armored battle horse. For Géricault, who deeply admired Byron’s poetry but was vastly more interested in modern life, this print represents an atypical, elegiac essay on a chivalric theme executed in the highly detailed neo-Gothic mode sometimes called the Troubadour Style. Géricault illustrated the works of Lord Byron on numerous occasions.
Printed beneath image lower left: Géricault. Printed beneath image lower right: Lith de Villain. Printed beneath image in center: LARA BLESSÉ.
George Corbin Harwell and Kathleen Leigh Williams Harwell Fund
"The French Horse from Géricault to Picasso: Works from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts", The National Sporting Library & Museum, May 6 - July 31, 2016
"The French Horse from Géricault to Picasso: Works from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts", University of Richmond, March 3 - April 25, 2016
"The French Horse from Géricault to Picasso: Works from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts", University of Richmond, March 3 - April 25, 2016
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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