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.

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