A Dragoon on Horseback
A French dragoon in a plumed helmet turns to look aside from the saddle, in a palm-sized panel by the master military painter Edouard Detaille. Full commentary ↓
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A Dragoon on Horseback is an oil painting by Edouard Detaille (1876) in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It measures 24.1 × 13.7 cm.
In the pictureA soldier on horseback stands in the center of the picture. The helmet with its horsehair crest, the epaulettes on his shoulders, even the gear strapped to the saddle all fit into this small picture, and behind him are soldiers in camp and a hazy horizon. The image the museum has released is black and white, so the colors are unknown, but this makes the forms and tones all the clearer.
BackgroundDragoons were cavalry who traveled on horseback and dismounted to fight. Edouard Detaille, a pupil of Meissonier, served in the Franco-Prussian War himself and then made his name as a painter who depicted soldiers' uniforms and equipment with precision. This panel, 24 cm tall, appears to be either a figure study for a large battle painting or a small piece for collectors.
Puzzle tipBecause it is black and white you cannot sort by color, but the contrasts are strong. First separate out the horse's black body, the soldier's light face and helmet, and the white sky pieces, then divide the gray background pieces into upper and lower, using the height of the horizon as a guide. It is a tall, narrow picture, so 48 pieces suits it.
- Artist
- French, Paris 1848–1912 Paris
- Classification
- Paintings
- Medium
- Oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 24.1 x 13.7 cm
- Credit line
- Bequest of Martha T. Fiske Collord, in memory of her first husband, Josiah M. Fiske, 1908
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
In these collections: Animals in Masterpieces
Stories about this work
- The One Time Detaille and Drouais Painted Against Type
A single horseman painted without a battle by the military painter Detaille, and the only boy painted by Drouais, a portraitist of women. A look at one work each from outside their signature images.
- Why Dogs and Horses Turn Up So Often in Old Master Paintings
Animals in old paintings were both decoration and symbol: the dog for loyalty, the horse for status and authority, the bird for freedom and the soul. Small supporting players you find while doing the puzzle.
