Chariot Race

Oil on cradled panelJean Léon Gérôme (French, 1824–1904)/1876

Description

Jean-Léon Gérôme claimed that he based this almost cinematic depiction of a chariot race at the Circus Maximus stadium in Rome on archaeological research. The painting was first acquired by New York department store magnate A. T. Stewart, reflecting the popularity of Gérôme’s slickly finished and often dramatic work among wealthy American collectors in the 19th century. Its arrival in the United States made headlines and was reported by young writer Henry James, who described it as “a fierce mêlée of beasts, men, and wheels; the struggle and confusion are powerfully expressed, and the horses and chariots painted with that hard, consummate finish characteristic of the author.”

Provenance

Alexander Turney Stewart (died 1876), New York; his widow, Cornelia M. Stewart, New York (died 1886); sold American Art Association, New York, March 23, 1887, lot 60, to Henry Hilton for $7,100 [buyer according to New York Evangelist 1887; price according to an annotated sale catalogue in the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, The Hague]; Henry Hilton (died 1899), New York. E. H. van Ingen (died 1920), New York; his estate; sold Anderson Galleries, New York, January 24, 1928, lot 145, to Clapp & Graham Co., New York, for $2,100 [buyer according to a letter from Clapp & Graham Co. to George F. Harding Jr. dated March 8, 1928, copy in curatorial file; price according to an annotated copy of the sale catalogue in Ryerson Library, Art Institute]; Clapp & Graham Co.; sold to George F. Harding Jr. (died 1939), Chicago, November 9, 1928 [according to the receipt of sale, copy in curatorial file]; bequeathed to The George F. Harding Museum, Chicago; transferred to the Art Institute, 1984.

Dimensions

86.3 × 156 cm (34 × 61 7/16 in.)

Source

The Art Institute of Chicago

Movement / Period

19th century

Accession No

100350

Official Citations

[The Art Institute of Chicago Official Record][Full Resolution Image]

Curatorial Affinity Stream

Continuing the Universe of Jean Léon Gérôme (French, 1824–1904)

19th century • France • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries

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