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Bronze relief sculpture depicts a lean horse with well-defined musculature in a left-facing profile, against a wooden backdrop.

Écorché: Relief of a Horse (Josephine)

Thomas Eakins

Thomas Eakins was a Realist artist and influential teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA). He committed to representing bodies as accurately as possible. As a result, he obsessively studied the anatomy of both humans and animals. An écorché is an anatomical study displaying muscles of the body. This bronze cast écorché was taken from a plaster mold created by Eakins for teaching. The horse, Josephine, belonged to Fairman Rogers, a Board member of PAFA who had recruited Eakins to his teaching position. Josephine had appeared in several of Eakins’ earlier paintings. She died in 1882, and Rogers likely gave her carcass to Eakins for his anatomical studies.
Artist
Thomas Eakins
(American, 1844 - 1916)
Title
Écorché: Relief of a Horse (Josephine)
Date
modeled ca. 1882; cast 1979
Medium
Bronze with brown patina mounted on wooden plaque
Dimensions
23 3/4 x 21 1/2 x 3 3/4 in. overall
Credit
Gift of Sue Kessler Feld, Class of 1969, and Stuart P. Feld
Accession No.
2010.53
Classification
Sculpture
Geography
United States

Related

1979, cast* for Mr. and Mrs. Stuart P. Feld (New York, NY); 9 December 2010, gifted to the Chazen Museum of Art. *The Felds owned the original plaster at the time of the 1979 casting.

  • Goodrich, L. "Thomas Eakins: His Life and Work." New York, 1933. p. 208, no. 501
  • Hendricks, Gordon and Thomas Eakins. "The Life and Work of Thomas Eakins." New York: Grossman Publishers, 1974.

This bronze relief sculpture presents a left-profile view of a tall, lean, and sinewy horse. The horse is anatomically realistic with clearly visible bone structure, particularly the ribs and leg bones, and sinewy lines defining its well-defined musculature. The horse is depicted naturally, without a saddle or reins, and features a short, groomed mane and tail. The horse stands against a plain bronze backdrop and base, which is mounted on a wooden backboard showcasing a distinct wood grain.

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