In the early 1870s, Manet experimented with the equestrian portrait genre. The result was a generally homogenous group of pieces, which includes, in addition to Mr. Arnaud's portrait Ritratto del pittore ¨¦mile Guillaudin a cavallo (Portrait of the Painter ¨¦mile Guillaudin on Horseback) (Dearborn, Michigan, private collection) and the Ritratto di Marie Lef¨¦bure a cavallo (Portrait of Marie Lef¨¦bure on horseback) (S?o Paulo Museum of Art).All 3 paintings portray representatives of the Parisian high bourgeoisie, but the Portrait de M. Arnaud ¨¤ cheval appears to deviate from previous canvases, starting with its dimensions and cut the painting is twice as large, in portrait orientation, and depicts the horse full length. Michel Arnaud was a Paris-born entrepreneur, an occasional collector of Impressionist paintings, and an avid equestrian, which is probably the reason why Manet depicted him on the back of his steed. We don't know what relationship the artist and his subject shared, but it is likely that they met in 1875, the same year the painting was created. The painting, which was never finished¡ªa vintage photo demonstrates that the landscape was left in draft form and the horse's hooves were only hinted at¡ªwas kept in the artist's studio until his death. Purchased by the painter Max Liebermann (1847¨C1935), it has been suggested that it was he who completed the piece, framing it and adding a forged signature. The painting was purchased by Carlo Grassi in 1936 through the Thannhauser gallery in Berlin, and later became part of the Galleria d'Arte Moderna's collections. Title Portrait de M. Arnaud ¨¤ cheval (Portrait of Mr. Arnaud on Horseback) Creator Edouard Manet Creator Lifespan 1832/1883 Date 1875/1875 Physical Location Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Milano gift Italy Physical Dimensions w153 x h221 cm Provenance Donation Type painting Medium oil on canvas
