Georges Rouault

Galerie Louis Carré, Paris
Private Collection, Paris (acquired from the above in March 1942)
Thence by descent to the present owners

Paris, Galerie des Beaux-Arts, Tableaux de Collections Parisiennes 1850-1950, 1955, no. 104
Paris, Musée nationale d’art moderne, Depuis Bonnard, 1957, no. 159
Paris, Galerie André Weil, Le Cheval dans l'art, 1959

Bernard Dorival & Isabelle Rouault, Rouault, L'œuvre peint, Monaco, 1988, vol. II, no. 2227, illustrated p. 211
Gualtieri di San Lazzaro (ed.), 'Hommage à Georges Rouault' in XXe siècle, Paris, 1971, illustrated p. 69

Oil on gesso-primed card, laid down on canvas by the artist. UV examination reveals a thin line of retouching to the green border at the lower left corner. There are some fine lines of craquelure to the rider's leg. Otherwise, this work is in overall very good condition. Colours: fairly accurate in the printed catalogue, though overall more subtle and more green in the original.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Edward Alden Jewell states the following about the early years of Rouault's artistic production, 'Though not 'officially' a Fauve, Rouault's style was in those days an art of violent expressionism. And like theirs it represented a revolt against the stuffy academic standards of the day. But Rouault also walked apart. For one thing, he differed from the Fauves in that his art of that period was not decorative. Instead, it was passionately  dedicated, as the art of the Fauves in the main was not, to pregnant social issues.' (Edward Alden Jewell, Rouault, London, 1947, p. 8)

Rouault's interest in the world of the circus found its greatest outlet in his art during the 1930s, at the time that Ambroise Vollard had commissioned him to make etchings and woodcuts for the book Cirque de l'étoile filante, published in 1938. These depictions were based on his own childhood memories of the circus.

As so often in his work, Rouault frames the present picture with his own painted border within the composition. He employs his typically rich palette and cloisonniste style, outlining the figure and horse in black, like a stained glass window, thereby imparting a spiritual quality to the work. He first depicted circus characters in the early 1910s and the subject remained one of importantce throughout his career.