Théodore GÉRICAULT (Rouen 1791 - Paris 1824) Lad and three caparisoned horses Watercolor. Signed lower right. 9,5 x 12,5 cm Provenance : Private collection, Paris. Exhibition: Géricault, peintre et dessinateur, Berheim-Jeune & Cie, Paris, May 1937 lent by the Mayer-Bléneau collection (label on the back on the mount). Bibliography: G. Bazin, Théodore Géricault, Catalogue raisonné, T.VII, n°2304, p.134, reproduced as unknown author. During his stay in London, Géricault perfected his watercolor technique in contact with the English school. Our lovely sheet is typical of the small watercolors Géricault drew in London. Sold by the piece, they often ended up in albums amicorum. Germain Bazin only knew of the existence of this drawing from a very poor reproduction. He therefore catalogs it with reservations: "It is impossible to get an idea of cat.2304 (our drawing), because this watercolor is known only through an enlargement of the panels of the Bernheim Young exhibition in 1937 (G. Bazin opus quoted, p.29). The formidable play of light of the watercolor with the paper and the quality of the rendering of the horses, leave no doubt as to its authenticity.