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拍品專文
From the late 1880s Gérôme painted 'a general series of animal pictures, mostly of lions, with a few tigers' (Ackerman, op. cit., p. 133).
Following the success of Thirst, (see Ackerman, op. cit., no. 353), depicting a lion crouched by a shallow puddle lapping water, which was exhibited in the Salon of 1888, Gérôme painted La poursuite the following year, exhibiting this version in the 1900 Salon.
In the present picture the lion is shown running at full speed across a barren and rocky desert in pursuit of antelope. As in Thirst, the harshness and heat of the desert is well depicted. The vast and unforgiving horizon of mother nature dwarfs the king of beasts.
According to Albert Boime, Gérôme had a special affinity with lions and towards the end of his life kept a pet lion in his studio.
Ackerman records an oil sketch of this subject (op. cit., no. 364b) which was sold at Sotheby's, London, 4 May 1977, lot 293.
Following the success of Thirst, (see Ackerman, op. cit., no. 353), depicting a lion crouched by a shallow puddle lapping water, which was exhibited in the Salon of 1888, Gérôme painted La poursuite the following year, exhibiting this version in the 1900 Salon.
In the present picture the lion is shown running at full speed across a barren and rocky desert in pursuit of antelope. As in Thirst, the harshness and heat of the desert is well depicted. The vast and unforgiving horizon of mother nature dwarfs the king of beasts.
According to Albert Boime, Gérôme had a special affinity with lions and towards the end of his life kept a pet lion in his studio.
Ackerman records an oil sketch of this subject (op. cit., no. 364b) which was sold at Sotheby's, London, 4 May 1977, lot 293.