Artwork
Horse Devoured by a Lion (Cheval devore par un lion)
Horse Devoured by a Lion (Cheval devore par un lion) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Théodore Géricault. It dates from 1823 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1823, the lithograph titled *Horse Devoured by a Lion* presents a violent encounter between two animals on a sheet of thin paper.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1823, the lithograph titled *Horse Devoured by a Lion* presents a violent encounter between two animals on a sheet of thin paper. The composition captures a horse collapsed in sand while a lion’s head thrusts into its side, its limbs tangled and its body contorted in apparent agony. The work exemplifies the dramatic intensity favored by early nineteenth‑century French art.
Subject & Meaning
The image dramatizes a primal struggle, juxtaposing the strength of the lion with the helplessness of the horse. By emphasizing the animal’s raw physicality, the print reflects contemporary Romantic interests in untamed nature and the power of instinctual forces, inviting viewers to contemplate the fragility of life amid relentless predation.
Technique & Style
This approach aligns with the period’s shift toward expressive, emotionally charged visual language over polished finish.
Executed as a lithograph, the artist employed swift, unrefined lines that convey movement and chaos. The texture of the lion’s fur and the twisted musculature of the horse are rendered through varied hatching, while the thin paper substrate accentuates the immediacy of the drawing. This approach aligns with the period’s shift toward expressive, emotionally charged visual language over polished finish.
History & Provenance
The work was produced by Théodore Géricault, a French painter known for his pioneering role in Romanticism. Completed in the early 1820s, the print forms part of Géricault’s limited output in lithography, a medium he explored alongside his more famous paintings. Its survival on delicate paper suggests careful handling and limited circulation during the artist’s lifetime.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Louis André Théodore Géricault (French: ; 26 September 1791 – 26 January 1824) was a French painter and lithographer.
