<div class="description">
Ryder’s subject was inspired by a horse race that took place in New York during 1888. One of the artist’s friends wagered $500 on the race and then committed suicide after the horse lost. Medieval symbolism infuses the composition: death appears as a skeleton on horseback holding a scythe with which he cuts down the living, while a snake-a sign of temptation and evil-slithers in the foreground. An intense man, Ryder worked on the painting for several years and was deeply reluctant to part with it.</div>
<div class="fn value">
Albert Pinkham Ryder</div>
1896<div style="display: none;">date QS:P571,+1896-00-00T00:00:00Z/9</div>
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