Albert Pinkham Ryder
The Race Track (Death on a Pale Horse)
c. 1896–1908
€2,800.00
Ryder’s subject was inspired by a horse race that took place in New York during 1888. One of the artist’s friends wagered $500 on the race and then died by suicide after the horse lost. Medieval symbolism infuses the composition: death appears as a skeleton on horseback holding a scythe with which it cuts down the living, while a snake—a sign of temptation and evil—slithers in the foreground. An intense man, Ryder worked on the painting for several years and was deeply reluctant to part with it.
- Artist
- Albert Pinkham Ryder (American, 1847–1917)
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 70.5 × 90 cm
- Credit
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 (public domain)
Record and image: Cleveland Museum of Art