Head of a Horse; a Horse Running Through Water
A red-chalk horse's head, a small spherical-body diagram, and a note on horses' legs moving through water
A large red-chalk study of a horse's head fills the upper sheet, with a small diagram of a spherical body lettered o o - m n at the top right. The accompanying note reasons that a horse running through water makes less foam the deeper its legs sink, because deeply sinking legs are less impeded and, with a long stride, push the water more than the knee or thigh do. The page is written in mirror script, and an Institut de France stamp appears at the right margin.
On this page
Head of a horse
A vigorous red-chalk study of a horse's head, seen in profile with the muzzle to the right, occupies the upper half of the sheet.
Why a horse foams less the deeper it sinks in water
The horse that makes less foam running through water is the one that sinks deeper, and the one that makes more foam is the one that sinks less. Legs that sink less are less impeded, so they move faster and, with a long stride, push the water more than the knee or thigh do.
Diagram of a spherical body
A small diagram at the upper right shows a spherical body crossed by lines, labelled with the letters o o - m n given in the note.