George Frederic Watts, O.M., R.A. (1817-1904)

The Rider on the White Horse is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse described in chapter six of the Book of Revelation. This study has previously been described as Rider on the Pale Horse (another of the Four Horsemen), exhibited at the Guildhall in 1897 (currently untraced). It is a debateable identification because Watts has not depicted any of the attributes traditionally associated with each horseman. The composition most firmly reflects Watts's Rider on the White Horse in which both horse and rider face towards the left.