An Egyptian Mameluk Defending a Wounded French Trumpeter at Waterloo (Translation)
Mameluck de la Garde Imperiale Defendant un Trompette Blesse Contre un Cosaque (Primary Title)
Théodore Géricault, French, 1791 - 1824 (Artist)
This lithograph evinces the Romantic artist’s early fascination with Oriental subjects (Mamluks were originally enslaved soldiers whom Napoleon later commissioned by decree into a unit attached to his Imperial Guard). Here, the Mamluk is presented as an exemplar of military bravery much as Géricault’s earlier heroic paintings Charging Chasseur (1812) and Wounded Cuirassier (1814) present their soldiers as icons rather than individuals in specific circumstances.
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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