Collection Online as of December 9, 2023

Man Clutching a Horse in Water, after Poussin's "Deluge" (recto)

c. 1816

Part of a set. See all set records

Théodore Géricault

(French, 1791–1824)

after Nicolas Poussin

(French, 1594–1665)

France, 19th century

Pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash over graphite

Support: Beige laid paper

Sheet: 18 x 26.2 cm (7 1/16 x 10 5/16 in.)

Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2008.378.a

Location

not on view

Description

Géricault's drawing of a man clutching the mane of a horse as they struggle together to stay afloat is a direct copy of a detail from one of Nicolas Poussin's (1594-1665) most celebrated paintings, The Deluge, or Winter (see photo). Small in scale but monumental in feeling, the sheet exemplifies the artist's "antique manner" of drawing, which he began to develop around 1815. This style, with its heavy contour lines and broad washes, developed in tandem with Géricault's renewed interest in copying works of art from the past, such as prints after ancient sculpture and works by Raphael (1483-1520), Michelangelo (1475-1564), and Poussin.

Provenance

Unidentified collector's mark upper left; Coutan Hauguet Schubert Milliet collection (Lugt 464, stamped, lower left, in brown ink); [sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris (16-17 December 1889), 50 no. 194: "Scène de Déluge. Etude d'apres Le Poussin. Dessin à la plume et à la sépia."]; Charmettant (according to Bazin, Charmettant purchased at Coutan-Hauguet sale for 80 francs). Marietta Peabody Tree and Ronald Tree [their sale, Sotheby-Parke-Bernet, New York (8-9 October 1976), no. 197, repr.]; [Shepherd Gallery, New York]; purchased in 1976.

Citations

Géricault, Théodore, and Marlborough Fine Art Ltd. Théodore Géricault, 1791-1824 : [exhibition] October-November, 1952, Marlborough Fine Art Limited. London: Marlborough Fine Art, 1952. Referenced: cat. no. 68, p. 28

Shepherd Gallery. Non-Dissenters : One Hundred and Seventy French Nineteenth Century Drawings, Pastels and Watercolors. New York: Shepherd Gallery, 1976. Referenced: cat. no. 90, Reproduced

Grunchec, Philippe, and Théodore Géricault. Master Drawings by Géricault. Washington, D.C.: International Exhibitions Foundation, 1985. Referenced: no. 9, p. 47-48

Musée du Louvre, and Réunion des musées nationaux (France). Copier créer: de Turner à Picasso : 300 œuvres inspirées par les maîtres du Louvre : Musée du Louvre, Paris, 26 avril-26 juillet 1993. Paris: Réunion des musées nationaux, 1993. Referenced: cat. no. 108, p. 174. Reproduced

Foster, Carter E., Sylvain Bellenger, and Patrick Shaw Cable. French Master Drawings from the Collection of Muriel Butkin. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2001. Referenced: cat. no 26, p. 62-63

Exhibition history

Théodore Géricault 1791-1824, Marlborough Fine Art Limited, London (1952), 28, no. 68;

Non-Dissenters: Fifth Exhibition Marking Our Tenth Anniversary, Shepherd Gallery, New York (1976), no. 90, repr.;

Philippe Grunchec, Master Drawings by Gericault, Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, and tour (Washington: International Exhibitions Foundation, 1985), 47-48, no. 9, repr.;

Copier Créer de Turner à Picasso: 300 oeuvres inspirées par les maîtres du Louvre, Musée du Louvre, Paris (Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1993), 174, no. 108, repr.

Master Drawings by Géricault. The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY (organizer) (June 7-July 31, 1985); San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA (August 31-October 20, 1985); Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX (November 9, 1985-January 5, 1986).

French Master Drawings from the Collection of Muriel Butkin. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-October 28, 2001); Dahesh Museum of Art (February 19-May 18, 2002).