Théodore Géricault

Executed by the artist for Adam and Zoë Elmore, during his London stay in 1821;

Adam and Zoë Elmore Collection,

Thence by descent to the present owners.

Calais, Musée des beaux-arts, L’Aquarelle romantique, 1961, no. 63.

G. Bazin, Théodore Géricault, étude critique, documents et catalogue raisonné, Paris 1997, tome VII, pp. 21-22, 111, no. 2246.

An exceptional work for its subject, its quality and the finish of its execution, Zoë and Adam Elmore on horseback is typical of Géricault’s style during his time in London in 1821. In this painting, he returned to a theme that had fascinated him while he was in Carle Vernet’s studio: thoroughbred horses ridden by elegant riders, a subject that was very fashionable in London at that time. He admired the marvellous British watercolors, impressed by their refinement, their transparency and the sometimes ‘wet’ appearance of the surface. It was under this double influence that he painted not only Zoë and Adam Elmore on horseback, but also some drawings and watercolors in the same vein.

The watercolor portrays Zoë Elmore, in a close-up view, returning from a ride with her husband. The charm of the composition, the delicacy of the colors and the material, show that it was the artist’s intention to paint a portrait in the ‘English’ style, highlighting the model in a pleasing way. Gracefully turning her head to face the viewer, Zoë is wearing an elegant riding habit. Her proud and confident bearing shows off her riding skills. She is riding side-saddle on a splendid chestnut horse, almost a thoroughbred and probably one of the finest in Elmore’s stables. Is this the same horse that Géricault illustrated in La Promenade des chevaux, now at the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University?¹ Slightly behind, in the background, Adam Elmore, painted in a quicker and more sketchy manner, seems to be having trouble controlling his horse.

The extraordinary virtuosity of the watercolor treatment is remarkable, while the confident coloring used for the equestrian group projects them forward. The swift and precise watercolor brushstrokes, varying in their fineness, the highlights of white gouache and the subtle shadows – all these evoke the horsewoman’s body, suggested by the folds of her habit, and describe the soft and silky reflections on the horse’s coat. Zoë’s face is treated with infinite delicacy, with Géricault using the colour of the paper in reserve and delicately emphasizing her fine features. In the background, a group of trees stirred by the evening breeze can be seen above the high wall that conceals the Elmore estate. An impression of peace and calm, accentuated by the seagulls in flight, creating luminous points in the twilight sky, emanates from this work of refined and charming elegance.

In Germain Bazin’s view, there are four preparatory drawings for Zoë and Adam Elmore on horseback, each showing a male and a female rider.² This hypothesis is very plausible given the similarity of the clothes and the outlines of the figures. The original composition, showing the riders conversing, must have been abandoned, perhaps at Elmore’s request, for a different presentation focusing on Zoë Elmore, an excellent horsewoman.

Several works by Géricault, in addition to those in this collection, were inspired by his time with Zoë and Adam Elmore: he was deeply influenced by his friendship with his hosts and by the proximity of the stables where he could work. There are, for example, two very finished watercolors showing a male rider with a strong resemblance to Elmore, which Germain Bazin has titled Monsieur Elmore à cheval [Mr Elmore on horseback].³ These were probably works inspired by Elmore, but not painted for him, likewise the superb watercolor mentioned above, and preparatory to a lithograph, titled Horses exercising, published in London in 1821 by Hullmandel; it shows a groom walking two thoroughbred horses, probably belonging to Elmore’s stable, beside the wall of the Elmore estate.⁴ 

1.  Cambridge (Mass.), Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, inv. 1943.363

2. Bazin, op. cit., 1997, vol. 7, pp. 112-114, nos. 2249, 2250, 2251, 2252 

3. Bazin, op.cit., pp. 111-112, nos. 2247, 2248 

4. New Haven, CT, Yale Center for British Art, inv. B1977.14.10874

For more information regarding this lot and the other works by Gericault coming from the Elmore Family, please click on the link below to have access to the full catalogue of the collection:

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