id:			140326
accession number:	1964.28.a
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1964.28.a
updated:		

Sheet of Sketches (recto), 1819. Théodore Géricault (French, 1791–1824). Pen and ink; sheet: 22.8 x 35 cm (9 x 13 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Dudley P. Allen Fund 1964.28.a

title:				Sheet of Sketches (recto)
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			1819
creation date earliest:		1819
creation date latest:		1819
current location:		101B Prints & Drawings
creditline:			Dudley P. Allen Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	France, 19th century
technique:	pen and ink
department:	Drawings
collection:	DR - French
type:		Drawing
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

* Théodore Géricault (French, 1791–1824)  - artist

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measurements: Sheet: 22.8 x 35 cm (9 x 13 3/4 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Drawn to the Body: The Human Figure and the Graphic Arts, 1500-1900
	opening date:   1999-03-14T00:00:00
	<i>Drawn to the Body: The Human Figure and the Graphic Arts, 1500-1900</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (March 14-May 23, 1999).

	title:		Stories From Storage
	opening date:   2021-02-07T05:00:00
	<i>Stories From Storage</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021).

	title:		Nineteenth-Century French Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art
	opening date:   2023-01-20T05:00:00
	<i>Nineteenth-Century French Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 20-April 30, 2023).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

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fun fact:
Géricault died at a young age and had a professional career lasting only just over a decade.

digital description:
The inscription at the upper left of the sheet states that Géricault executed these studies at the spring of the Magdelaine, near the forest of Fontainebleau, which he visited in 1819. The male figures closely resemble the earlier studies he made while in Italy of peasants during horse races at annual Roman carnivals. Here, men struggle to keep control of their unseen animals during the moments before the race. The verso female figures, visible though the paper, derive directly from Pompeiian paintings of bacchanals, or revelers participating in festivals honoring Bacchus, the god of wine.

wall description:
Théodore Géricault created this drawing while visiting Féricy, a village near Paris, following the disappointing reception of his painting <em>The Raft of the Medusa</em> in its first public exhibition. The artist considered the canvas his greatest achievement, and its rejection by critics led him to reevaluate his practice and engage in his passion for drawing. Géricault’s host during his subsequent travels described spending a day in the artist’s company as he sketched at the Magdelaine, a local fountain. Géricault noted this location above imaginatively posed figures, some resembling those in his painting, suggesting his continued reflection on its imagery.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1964.28.a/1964.28.a_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1964.28.a/1964.28.a_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1964.28.a/1964.28.a_full.tif