Equestrian Portrait of Don Jose Andres Sepulveda
ClassificationsPaintings-oils
Artist
Henri Pénelon
(French, 1827 - 1885)
Subject
Don Jose Sepulveda
(1803 - 1875)
Datec. 1856
Made AtUnited States, North America
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsFramed: 51 1/2 × 44 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (130.8 × 113 × 3.8 cm)
Credit LineGift of Judge Thomas D. Mott II
Object number2429
DescriptionDon José Sepúlveda was famous for his generosity and his sizeable collection of racehorses. Sitting astride a horse on a silver-appointed saddle with one hand holding the reins and the other at his hip, Don José wears an elegant black riding outfit edged in red. The portrait is an insider’s view of Californio culture at a time when boosters’ promotional literature, intended for eastern U.S. readers, more often portrayed menacing horsemen reigning in frenzied horses. After statehood in 1850, Anglo-American boosters sought to eradicate the legacy of the Spanish rancho system.On View
On viewCollections
c. 1800
1776-1831
c. 1858
19th Century