Start of the Race of the Barberi Horses, Rome

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux

1860 · Pen and ink, watercolor, and gouache on wove paper · Drawings and Prints

The race of the riderless Barbieri horses in the Corso was a Roman Carnival tradition that began with the gathering of the horses in the Piazza del Popolo and ended with their capture at the finish. Excited by this spectacle, Carpeaux divested the scene of its contemporary detail and transformed it into a timeless image of men heroically struggling with the rearing animals. The hand of the sculptor is evident in the drawing, where energetic movement and anatomical verisimilitude enliven human and animal bodies.

Artist

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux

Date

1860

Medium

Pen and ink, watercolor, and gouache on wove paper

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, Carl Selden Bequest and Karen B. Cohen Fund, 2000