Nine Figure Sketches, Including Three Galloping Equestrains (from Sketchbook)

Art Historical Context

Thomas Sully's *Nine Figure Sketches, Three Galloping Equest (from Sketchbook)*, between 1810 and 1820, offers a glimpse into the preparatory world of one of America's leading portrait painters. This intimate sheet from Sully's sketchbook features dynamic studies of human figures and lively horses in motion, capturing the artist's keen observation of anatomy and energy. Sully, a Philadelphia-based artist of English birth, was renowned for his romantic, theatrical portraits of notables like Queen Victoria and Thomas Jefferson, blending influences from British masters like Reynolds with an American flair. Dating to the early 19th century, these sketches reflect the Federal era's growing interest in equestrian themes, symbolizing vitality and nobility amid America's expanding national identity. As part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing, the work highlights Sully's meticulous process—rapid notations that honed his skills for grand canvases. Executed in ink and wash on paper (9 x 11½ inches), the medium allowed for swift, expressive shading and fluid lines, evoking movement in the galloping horses. Such studies were essential for artists like Sully, revealing the groundwork behind his polished masterpieces and inviting us to appreciate the raw creativity fueling neoclassical portraiture.

About the Artist

Thomas Sully · 1783–1872

Thomas Sully, born on June 19, 1783, in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England, to actor parents Matthew Sully and Sarah Chester, emigrated with his family to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1792. Raised in a theatrical environment, young Thomas debuted as a tumbler at age 11 before discovering his artistic talent. He studied miniature painting with his brother Lawrence Sully, brother-in-law Jean Belzon...