Cheval

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Cheval (French for "Horse") is a drawing by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec that belongs to the artist's long-standing engagement with equestrian subjects, one of the most enduring themes of his career. Horses were among Toulouse-Lautrec's earliest and most formative subjects, shaped by his aristocratic upbringing in Albi, southern France, where his father maintained a full stable, and by his first teacher, René Princeteau, a sporting painter and horse enthusiast. Toulouse-Lautrec's characteristic draftsmanship—fluid, economical line with an acute sense of movement and animal anatomy—is evident across his equestrian works, from early sketches to his celebrated circus series. As a Post-Impressionist draughtsman of exceptional range, Lautrec produced over 5,000 drawings throughout his career, with horse subjects appearing across every phase of his artistic development.