Pair of lions

Théodore Géricault's numerous sketches of lions in this book show his fascination with the strength and beauty of these animals. Using swift strokes and lines that merely suggest but do not linger over specific details, he captured their muscular bodies, long, flowing manes, and broad paws.

Géricault copied these animals from Peter Paul Rubens' painting Marriage of Henri IV and Marie de' Medici in the Musée du Louvre. In the picture, one of a cycle of twenty-seven monumental canvases painted to decorate a room in the Palais du Luxembourg, nude putti ride the animals that pull the king and queen's chariot.