Horses going to a Fair
Medium
Lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 12 3/4 × 17 1/8 in. (32.4 × 43.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1917
Accession Number
17.41.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created in 1821, *Horses Going to a Fair* showcases Théodore Géricault’s masterful command of equine anatomy and movement. A leading figure of French Romanticism, Géricault frequently turned to horses as subjects that embodied energy, nobility, and untamed spirit. This lithograph, printed by Charles Joseph Hullmandel and published by Rodwell & Martin in London, captures a procession of men and horses making their way to market—a scene alive with rhythmic motion and everyday drama. Lithography, a relatively new printmaking technique at the time, allowed Géricault to achieve the rich tonal cont...
About the Artist
Théodore Gericault|Charles Joseph Hullmandel|Rodwell & Martin · 1791–1824
Théodore Géricault, born Jean-Louis André Théodore Géricault on September 26, 1791, in Rouen, France, into a prosperous family—his father a lawyer turned tobacco merchant and his mother from a line of growers—moved to Paris around 1797. Displaying early artistic promise, recognized by painter Jean-Louis Laneuville, he began formal training in 1808 under Carle Vernet, mastering English sporting art...