Woman in a Riding Habit (L'Amazone)

Woman in a Riding Habit (L'Amazone) by Gustave Courbet is an oil on canvas painting created during the period spanning 1850 to 1864. This powerful portrait depicts a woman in formal equestrian attire, known in French as l'amazone. Courbet, the central figure of the French Realist movement, often chose to portray contemporary figures and scenes with an unprecedented lack of romantic idealization, a characteristic evident in the direct, unsmiling demeanor of the sitter. The artist’s focus here is not merely on social status but on the psychological presence and individuality of the subject.

The painting features a dominant dark palette, characteristic of Courbet’s mid-century work, which allows the subtle highlights on the figure’s face and hands to emerge with clarity. The detail applied to the texture of the riding habit highlights the substantial materiality of the fabric, contrasting with the soft rendering of the skin. Courbet’s approach to portraiture rejected academic conventions, offering a stark and honest examination of his female subjects.

This important work provides insight into the breadth of Courbet’s career and his significant contribution to 19th-century painting. It is classified within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. As a historical artifact, the artwork is frequently referenced in studies of Realism; high-quality digital reproductions are sometimes circulated, making prints accessible through certain public domain archival efforts.