A French Farrier (Primary Title)
Théodore Géricault, French, 1791 - 1824 (Artist)
Géricault’s passion for horses began in his childhood when he was an avid rider who preferred lively stock. As an adult, he kept a carriage in addition to riding and racing horses. In 1808, his fascination with horses drew him to Carle Vernet, a well-known, fashionable painter of modern subjects particularly involving horses. Vernet, who is represented in this exhibition, allowed Géricault the freedom to observe, draw, and copy within his studio. In his earliest works, Géricault would expand his study of the horse through careful observation of stabled horses. Realistic prints such as these observing working horses and farriers, however, show the great artistic distance Géricault had traveled from his elegant master by the 1820s.
Printed beneath image lower left: T. Gericault invt. Printed beneath image lower right: C. Hullmandel's Lithography. Printed beneath image in center: A FRENCH FARRIER. Inscribed in graphite on verso, lower right: "24475" and "550"
Gift of Frank Raysor
"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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