Portrait of a Carabinier

Théodore Géricault painted the portrait of a French cavalry soldier in 1814, capturing the military subject matter for which he became known before his famous "Raft of the Medusa." The carabinier was an elite heavy cavalry soldier, and Géricault depicts him with the dramatic intensity characteristic of Romanticism.

The painting measures 64 x 45 cm in oil on canvas. Géricault was fascinated by horses and military subjects, producing numerous studies of soldiers and cavalry throughout his brief career. His powerful depictions of horses would influence artists including Delacroix and later the Realists.

The work is held at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen in France. Géricault died young at thirty-two, but his dramatic vision and technical mastery established him as a founder of French Romantic painting.