Lot 1193 Dα

Following a productive stay in Rome, Gericault returned to Paris in 1817, where he completed his seminal work "The Raft of Medusa", which was exhibited at the salon in 1819. Physically and emotionally drained after the completion of this formidable work, he then travelled to London. Here he mainly painted watercolours from 1820/21, one of which was entitled "The Coal Wagon" (today kept in the British Museum, cf.: J. Rowlands, Master Drawings and Watercolours, The British Museum Press 1984). Several studies for this motif have survived, the present work included.
Bruno Chenique has confirmed the authenticity of the drawing and will include it in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné.