.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
In 1858, Courbet was invited to Frankfurt, where he was introduced to stag hunting. Although he had hunted in his native Franche-Comté in his youth and had already drawn on these experiences in his painting, the German sojourn revived his interest in the hunt, horses and wild animals as a theme, and he began to specialize in this genre. These works were quite successful commercially, as the public responded favorably to more the traditional and familiar subject matter.
Courbet's depictions of the hunt and forest creatures were very different from the paintings being produced for the Salon by other artists of similar subjects. Rather than depict the horses mounted and ready for the hunt, Courbet has chosen that moment when the ride is over. There are no fashionable riding habits or glistening flanks. The horses have returned to their groom, who stands to the side of the composition in an attitude of respect for his charges, which can easily be interpreted as a reflection of Courbet's own respect for nature. The artist has chosen to emphasize the figures of the horses in natural poses: one standing still and engaging the viewer, and the other grazing in the corner of the picture. The owner of the horses, Felix Gaudy, his back turned, heads back towards his house, half-hidden in the shadows on an otherwise sun-dappled path.
Courbet frequently stayed with Felix Gaudy at his Chateau at Vuillafans on the banks of the Loue near Ornans. M. Gaudy was very fond of the hunt and a generous host. Courbet wrote that during his stay with M. Gaudy he was "installé comme un prince et ses chevaux à disposition".
Courbet was obviously captivated by the horses, and intrigued by this particular animal with the unusual markings. This horse was also depicted in a work executed in 1861, entitled Le piquer (fig. 1), which was exhibited in the Paris Salon that same year. It is interesting to note the rider in this painting was erased by the artist, and the work was given a new title, Le cheval dérobé. Even the saddles in the two works are the same distinctive yellow. Indeed, in Riat's description of the present painting, he refers to it as "un autre tableau d'apres le cheval de M. Gaudy". (G. Riat, Gustave Courbet Pientre, Paris, 1906, p. 187)
Fig. 1 Gustave Courbet
Le piquer or Le cheval dérobé, 1861, Neue Pinakothek, Munich
Courbet's depictions of the hunt and forest creatures were very different from the paintings being produced for the Salon by other artists of similar subjects. Rather than depict the horses mounted and ready for the hunt, Courbet has chosen that moment when the ride is over. There are no fashionable riding habits or glistening flanks. The horses have returned to their groom, who stands to the side of the composition in an attitude of respect for his charges, which can easily be interpreted as a reflection of Courbet's own respect for nature. The artist has chosen to emphasize the figures of the horses in natural poses: one standing still and engaging the viewer, and the other grazing in the corner of the picture. The owner of the horses, Felix Gaudy, his back turned, heads back towards his house, half-hidden in the shadows on an otherwise sun-dappled path.
Courbet frequently stayed with Felix Gaudy at his Chateau at Vuillafans on the banks of the Loue near Ornans. M. Gaudy was very fond of the hunt and a generous host. Courbet wrote that during his stay with M. Gaudy he was "installé comme un prince et ses chevaux à disposition".
Courbet was obviously captivated by the horses, and intrigued by this particular animal with the unusual markings. This horse was also depicted in a work executed in 1861, entitled Le piquer (fig. 1), which was exhibited in the Paris Salon that same year. It is interesting to note the rider in this painting was erased by the artist, and the work was given a new title, Le cheval dérobé. Even the saddles in the two works are the same distinctive yellow. Indeed, in Riat's description of the present painting, he refers to it as "un autre tableau d'apres le cheval de M. Gaudy". (G. Riat, Gustave Courbet Pientre, Paris, 1906, p. 187)
Fig. 1 Gustave Courbet
Le piquer or Le cheval dérobé, 1861, Neue Pinakothek, Munich