Mameluke on Horseback with Bow and Arrow (Primary Title)
Carle Vernet, French, 1758 - 1836 (Artist)
Renderings of the Orient, generically defined by the French as comprising the Ottoman Empire, Middle East, and Northern Africa, captivated the attention of artists and the public alike following Napoleon Bonaparte’s 1798 Egyptian expedition. From 1800 to 1812, the French Academy’s annual Salon featured many works with subjects relating to Bonaparte's campaign. In this work, a mamluk or professional soldier in the highest caste of Egyptian society, maneuvers his horse over fallen debris and shoots arrows over his shoulder creating a strong compositional diagonal. Vernet portrays the Mamluk as a glamorous exotic warrior, which must have appealed greatly to his artistic appetite for every possible variety of equestrian subject matter.
Signed lower left: Carle Vernet
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
"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
"Exhibition of French Drawings, Post Neo-Classicism", P. & D. Colaghi, London, Febraury 20 to March 27, 1975; catalog no. 155 (illus.).
"From Delacroix to Toulouse Lautrec: French Drawings from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon", VMFA, Mellon Galleries, August 23, 1994 to February 12, 1995.
"Corot to Cezanne: French Drawings from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon", VMFA, September 11, 2010-January 2, 2011.
"Corot to Cezanne: French Drawings from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon", The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia, January 25, 2013-June 2, 2013.
"The French Horse from Géricault to Picasso: Works from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts", University of Richmond, March 3 - April 25, 2016
"Exhibition of French Drawings, Post Neo-Classicism", P. & D. Colaghi, London, Febraury 20 to March 27, 1975; catalog no. 155 (illus.).
"From Delacroix to Toulouse Lautrec: French Drawings from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon", VMFA, Mellon Galleries, August 23, 1994 to February 12, 1995.
"Corot to Cezanne: French Drawings from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon", VMFA, September 11, 2010-January 2, 2011.
"Corot to Cezanne: French Drawings from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon", The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia, January 25, 2013-June 2, 2013.
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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