Study of a Horse [verso] after 1807

William Etty sketched this 'Study of a Horse' with a pencil, capturing the animal in a vulnerable, inverted pose. The horse, often a symbol of power and virility, is here stripped of its grandeur, lying on its back, limbs askew. Consider the motif of the overturned horse throughout art history. From battle scenes where fallen steeds signify defeat to allegorical works where a horse's reversal symbolizes chaos, this image carries potent symbolic weight. Think of the dramatic fall of Saul in Michelangelo's 'Conversion of Saul' where the protagonist is thrown from his horse, mirroring a spiritual upheaval. The vulnerability and lack of control we observe in Etty's study evokes a primal fear of helplessness, tapping into the subconscious anxieties about loss of power. The motif is a cyclical expression of vulnerability and downfall that has resurfaced and evolved in new contexts.