From the mid-15th century until 1882, spring carnival in rome closed with a horse race. Fifteen to 20 riderless horses, originally imported from the barbary coast of north africa, ran the length of the via del corso, a long, straight city street, in about 2½ minutes. Throughout his career, géricault lovingly depicted the horse as a metaphor for unfettered emotion and power. The artist initially planned to paint a canvas of this subject more than 30 feet in width; he completed 20 small oil studies before abandoning the project. In other variations on this theme, géricault set the race in ancient, rather than contemporary, rome. Date: 1817. Place of creation: Rouen (in present-day France). Dimensions: height: 44.9 cm (17.6 in); width: 59.5 cm (23.4 in); Framed height: 82.6 cm (32.5 in); width: 97.8 cm (38.5 in); depth: 12.7 cm (5 in). Medium: canvas, oil on paper. Collection: Walters Art Museum. Théodore Géricault - Riderless Racers at Rome - Walters 37189
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