Artwork
Mounted Dragoon Officer
Mounted Dragoon Officer is an oil painting by the Realist artist Édouard Detaille. It dates from 1888 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Created in 1876, Mounted Dragoon Officer is an oil painting executed on a canvas support.
Created in 1876, Mounted Dragoon Officer is an oil painting executed on a canvas support. The work measures 23.5 cm in height and 13.2 cm in width. As a product of Édouard Detaille's practice in France during the late 19th century, the piece utilizes traditional oil paint application to render its military subject.
The classification identifies the object as a painting, consistent with the materials of oil and canvas documented for the work held in the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection.
History & Provenance
Édouard Detaille created the oil painting Mounted Dragoon Officer in 1876. Produced in France, the work is executed on canvas. The piece entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is cataloged under the accession number 2010.24.
Overview
Édouard Detaille’s Mounted Dragoon Officer (1888) is an oil painting that captures a French cavalry officer astride a black horse. The composition places the rider in a dark uniform highlighted by vivid red trim, against a tranquil landscape of grass, distant troops, and a lightly clouded sky. The work exemplifies Detaille’s reputation for exacting military representation.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas presents a dragoon officer poised on his mount, his helmet crowned with a red plume and his reins held loosely, suggesting readiness without immediate tension. The calm atmosphere, combined with the soldier’s dignified posture, conveys both the discipline of the French cavalry and the poised anticipation of impending action.
Context
Detaille, a leading figure of French academic painting, specialized in meticulous depictions of military life during the late nineteenth century. Mounted Dragoon Officer reflects the broader realist trend of the era, emphasizing accurate portrayal of uniforms and equipment, and aligns with the period’s interest in documenting national armed forces through art.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Baptiste Édouard Detaille (French pronunciation:; 5 October 1848 – 23 December 1912) was a French academic painter and military artist noted for his precision and realistic detail.
