According to a legend popularised by the Roman poet Ovid, Atalanta, an athletic huntress with many suitors, challenged her prospective partners to a race. Those who lost would be killed, but the winner she would marry. Hippomenes dropped three golden apples given to him by Venus along the course, which Atalanta could not resist picking up. He thereby won the race and the right to marry her. Echoing the strong directional movement of the running couple in the gestures of the onlookers, Guercino admirably expresses the speed and energy of the event. The long, narrow format and the drawing’s state of discolouration, due to prolonged exposure to light, suggest that it was used as a decoration over a doorway.

Giuseppe Vallardi (1784-1863), L.1223; Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt (1820 - 1877), by 1868 (when exhibited at Leeds as in his collection); Koetser Gallery (dealer in Amsterdam, then London from 1923, later New York and Zurich); purchased there by The Courtaud via the Witt Fund, June 1953 (£115)

Guercino - Mind to Paper, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 22/02/2007-13/05/2007

Guercino - Mind to Paper, J Paul Getty Museum & Los Angeles & California & USA, 24/10/2006-21/01/2007

Drawings by Guercino from British Collections, British Museum, London, 1991 ...More

National Exhibition of Works of Art, Leeds, UK, 1868
cat. no. 2741
p. 155

Drawings from the Witt Collection, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1958 - 1959
cat. no. 20
p. 8

Drawings by Old Masters, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1953
cat. no. 144
p. 40 ...More

Watermark: Watermark: right centre (above helmeted figure's outstretched arm): a circle, approx. 4.3 cm in diameter (unable to see what it contains, and only visible in raking light, as drawing is laid down on several supports and cannot be lifted).

Inscription: Recto: markings at intervals along the upper edge: black chalk, a line on both upper and lower edges at 41.2 cm from left edge; 20.3 cm along from that is a graphite line labelled "12" (partially overlaps the underlying support); 18.1 cm along from that is a graphite symbol - a line crossed by an x, and on the lower edge directly below is a graphite "*" [this would presumably be the centre mark, but it is 79.7 cm from the left edge and 79 cm from the right edge]; 15.4 cm along from that is a graphite line; 28 cm along from that is a graphite "41".

Collector's mark: Recto: stamped in blue three times at lower left corner, lower centre edge and lower right corner: Giuseppe Vallardi (L.1223).

Label: Frame, Verso: right edge, black label printed in white: "JAMES BOURLET & SONS / LTD... / [...] Packers".

Label: All removed from mount and frame and now stored in object file: fragment, torn, first two lines printed in black: “[…]N OF WORKS OF ART, / LEEDS, 1868.” and below lines filled in with brown ink: “66 / 1”; abraded, printed in black ink: “NATIONAL EXHIBITION / OF / WORKS OF ART, / LEEDS, 1868. / Picture Galleries. / PROPRIETOR”; typewritten: “ G.F. Barbieri called Guercino. / 1591. – 1666. / “The Race between Atlanta and Hippomenes; Atlanta stoops / to pick up the apples of the Hesperides, while Hippomenes / is greeted as the victor by the cheering crowds, a tribune / with spectators to the right, a galloping horseman to the / left.”” and added after in brown ink: “Exhibited at Leeds”; graphite: “Collection: G. Vallardi (Lugt 1223) / m. Digby Wyatt.”; printed in black ink and filled in with typewriter, upper edge torn away: “[…]rame (not the canvas) of the Picture / ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS / DIPLOMA GALLERY, 1953 – OLD MASTERS’ DRAWINGS / Artist Guercino / Title Atlanta’s Race Ser. No. / Name and Address of Owner Courtauld Institute of Art (Witt Collection) / 20 Portman Square, W.1. / (Please correct any particulars not properly given)”.