Not currently on view
In the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · as of August 2026
FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG
Vernet celebrated Napoleon and France’s military power at the beginning of the 19th century. He was a specialist in depicting horses-he executed many hunting and racing scenes-as well as army life. Vernet’s beautifully drawn and detailed portrait of a Cossack reveals the artist’s interest in the picturesque costume and the fine craftsmanship of the weapons and tack. Cossacks were groups of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in Ukraine and southern Russia who protected these borders when the French invaded in 1812.
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Carle (Antoine Charles Horace) Vernet|Joseph Dickinson — Cos
Aleksandr Orlovsky — Kurd in military armor on horseback
Théodore Géricault (French, 1791–1824) — Postman or Two Harn
Aleksandr Orlowski (Russian, 1777–1832) — Tartars on Horseba
Antonio Tempesta|Matthäus Merian the Elder — Plate 7: Empero
Théodore Géricault (French, 1791–1824) — Cuirassiers Chargin
Antoine-Jean Gros (French, 1771–1835) — A Mameluke Chief on 
Stefano della Bella|Johanna Christina Küsell|Jeremias Wolff 
Stefano della Bella — Hungarian horseman riding towards the 
Stefano della Bella — Polish hussar in profile facing right 
Stefano della Bella — Polish horseman facing right, a circul
Auvrest — Equestrian Portrait of Henry IV
