Publish by Gazette Drouot International

From the warriors of antiquity to 19th-century horsewomen, women have been fired by the same desire for freedom.

Daughters of Ares, the god of war, and the nymph Harmonia, the Amazons were imbued with an ambivalence that made them irresistible. These striking, independent women, who—legend has it—marched on Athens and took part in the Trojan War, have long inspired the imagination of artists. While Philostratus tells us that they fought on foot, not on horseback, 19th-century horsewomen riding “en amazone” (side-saddle), on saddles specifically adapted for noble ladies in the 14th century, were just as enamored of freedom. Their magnificent assurance still arouses admiration, as witnessed by this selection of works tinged with Romanticism. They successfully competed with men in the art of horsemanship until the mid-1930s, when the side-saddle disappeared from international competitions.

Modern Amazons were born in the mid-19th century into a world dominated by men.

€1,024 
Léon Jean Joseph Fauret (1863-1955)
Amazone, oil on canvas, 41 x 32 cm/16.1 x 12.6 in.
Paris 75002, 20 November 2020.
Tessier & Sarrou et Associés OVV.