The Ballad of Lenore
Horace Vernet, 1839Fine art reproduction on 200gsm matte paper. A5 to A1, plus 12x16, 18x24 and 24x36 inches.Two clay jugs on a white cloth, and above them a midnight ride to the grave. Picture this ghost story on your dining room wall.
The Ballad of Lenore by Horace Vernet comes from a German ballad by Gottfried August Bürger. Lenore's fiancé returns from the Seven Years' War at midnight, lifts her onto his black horse and rides for their wedding bed. It is his grave. Look closely at the rider. A skull glows inside his helmet. Below, sparks fly where a hoof strikes a tomb, and an owl, the old bird of ill omen, watches from the ivy.
Vernet painted it in 1839 and gave it a second title, The Dead Travel Fast. The line comes from the ballad, and Bram Stoker quoted it in Dracula. French writers from Gérard de Nerval to Victor Hugo retold Bürger's story, and painters returned to it for decades. The original hangs in the Musée d'Arts de Nantes. Vernet came from a family of painters: his father and grandfather were both famous artists. This print sits on a warm off-white border, so the whole canvas stays in view, from the sparks to Vernet's signature.
The look
Midnight blacks, smoky greens and one shock of white where the skull catches the light. The whole scene seems to rush past you in the dark. Dark, fast and full of dread. Gothic wall art for a dark academia study, a reading room or a gothic bedroom. This print has a warm off-white border, like a gallery mount. Vernet's canvas is wider than standard print sizes, so the border keeps the whole painting in view, from the sparks under the horse's hooves to his signature, with nothing cropped.
Sizes
| Size | Centimetres | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| A5 | 14.8 x 21 cm | 5.8 x 8.3 in |
| A4 | 21 x 29.7 cm | 8.3 x 11.7 in |
| A3 | 29.7 x 42 cm | 11.7 x 16.5 in |
| A2 | 42 x 59.4 cm | 16.5 x 23.4 in |
| A1 | 59.4 x 84.1 cm | 23.4 x 33.1 in |
| 12 x 16 in | 30.5 x 40.6 cm | 12 x 16 in |
| 18 x 24 in | 45.7 x 61 cm | 18 x 24 in |
| 24 x 36 in | 61 x 91.4 cm | 24 x 36 in |
Custom sizes on request. Inch sizes have a slightly different shape from A sizes, so the edges trim a little. Size guide
Frames and delivery
Choose a black, white or oak frame, or order the print unframed. It is printed locally in the UK, Europe, the US, Canada or Australia, at the location closest to you. Free tracked shipping, no customs fees. Printing and delivery
Gifting
A haunting gift for a birthday, a housewarming or a new home library. A ghost story told in paint.
More like this
More dark romanticism in our Dark Romanticism Art collection: The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli and Requiescat by Briton Riviere. For Death on horseback, see The Race Track (Death on a Pale Horse) by Albert Pinkham Ryder in Gothic Memento Mori Art.
