Horse Devoured by a Lion

Horse Devoured by a Lion is a dramatic lithograph on chine collé created by Théodore Géricault in 1823. This powerful print, produced toward the end of the artist’s short but influential career, belongs to a series of works that reflect Géricault’s enduring fascination with extreme violence, suffering, and the raw, untamed struggles of the natural world, central themes of early French Romanticism.

The artist’s sophisticated use of lithography was crucial to the work’s impact. The technique, combined with chine collé (where a thin paper layer is adhered to a thicker support during printing), allowed Géricault to achieve deep, rich blacks and expressive, fluid lines. This dramatic tonal range heightens the sense of menace and physical conflict as the powerful lion rips into the flank of the terrified horse, capturing the sheer moment of predatory triumph and desperate defense.

Géricault, known widely for his studies of equine anatomy and movement, returns to the horse as a subject of tragedy rather than nobility here. The resulting image is a powerful statement on the brutal inevitability of nature, anticipating later 19th-century explorations of animal combat. This significant work is preserved today in the esteemed collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The accessibility of such important prints has ensured Géricault’s lasting influence; many of his masterworks, including related prints, are frequently studied and shared through public domain initiatives.