Art UK has updated its cookies policy. By using this website you are agreeing to the use of cookies. To find out more read our updated Use of Cookies policy and our updated Privacy policy.

Horse Tied to a Tree

Image credit: Glasgow Life Museums

How you can use this image

 

This image is available to be shared and re-used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (CC BY-NC-ND).

You can reproduce this image for non-commercial purposes and you are not able to change or modify it in any way.

Wherever you reproduce the image you must attribute the original creators (acknowledge the original artist(s) and the person/organisation that took the photograph of the work) and any other rights holders.

Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find more images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.

Download

Notes

Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.

This small and unusual oil is claustrophobic in its intensity. In a dark woodland setting, a chestnut horse is tethered to a tree. The horse is saddled, but its rider is nowhere in sight. Degas suggests the horse's character – its hind legs are splayed as it pulls to get free, its head held high.

Working from sketches and from memory, Degas captures the essentials of the animal's movement by using a strong outline and giving us few, distracting details. Degas' horses are usually passive, and in comparison to the works by Géricault – 'Trumpeters of the Lancers of the Guard' or 'Prancing Grey Horse' – also in the Burrell Collection, this horse seems passive.
Title

Horse Tied to a Tree

Date

c.1873–1880

Medium

oil on linen

Measurements

H 22.2 x W 31.7 cm

Accession number

35.240

Acquisition method

gift from Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944

Work type

Painting

Inscription description

signed/dated

Tags

This artwork does not have any tags yet. You can help by tagging artworks on Tagger.

The Burrell Collection

Pollok Country Park, 2060 Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow G43 1AT Scotland

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.
View venue

Topics