Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2014.

The Little Cavaliers

Artist Édouard Manet (French, 1832-1883)

Dateca. 1860

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions18 x 29 3/4 in. (45.7 x 75.6 cm)
Overall, Frame: 28 3/4 × 40 1/4 × 3 in. (73 × 102.2 × 7.6 cm)

ClassificationsEuropean art

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number71.679

Terms

Cavaliers
Men
Brown
Green
Red
Pink
Blue
Gray
Black

Collections

European Art before 1945

On View

On view

DescriptionThis is an oil on canvas painting. It depicts thirteen cavaliers gathered in a field. It is done after Juan Bautista Martinez del Mazo's _Gathering of Gentlemen_ (formerly Velázquez's _Gathering of Portraits_), currently in the Louvre. The thirteen well dressed cavaliers are in two side groupings, and one center grouping of seven. They all face different directions, five of them have their backs to the viewer, and ten have their heads at the same level. They wear long leather boots, coats and swords along with the hats with feathers. They all appear to be engaged in conversation with each other.
Label TextEdouard Manet French, 1832–1883 The Little Cavaliers, ca. 1860 Oil on canvas Like many French artists, Edouard Manet honed his skills by copying artworks in the Louvre. He was especially attracted to the inventive brushwork, bright clarity, strong tonal contrasts, and clear outlines that he found in works by the 17th-century Spanish artist Diego Velázquez. The Little Cavaliers is Manet’s version of a painting once thought to be by the Spanish master (see illustration). Consider how Manet uses his work to align himself with Velázquez, and perhaps to outdo him. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.679