'Attack of the Leopards,' 19th Century French oil painting
£18,000
This beautiful oil painting, portraying a moment of intense action, demonstrates a variety of artistic influences, including the Orientalist and the Neoclassical.
This impressive early 19th Century French oil on canvas painting is held within an ornately carved giltwood frame.
The painting portrays a moment of intense action: a group of people, travelling by horse, is being attacked by a leap of leopards. The action unfolds in an Italianate setting, the figures ambushed on a path by a rocky ledge beside a river. The men fight back, using their daggers and spears to fend off the attacking felines.
There are several points to note about the picture: there is a definitive Orientalising element, several of the figures wearing turbans on their heads. Moreover, there is a distinct classicism about the composition, particularly the semi-nude male who reclines lower right. Most interesting is the man on horseback centre-left, whose horse rears beneath him and who, to maintain his balance, throws his right hand into the air. This composition recalls Jacques-Louis David’s Napoleon Crossing the Alps of 1801 to 1805. Indeed, it is very likely the artist of the current piece drew inspiration from David’s influential series of paintings.