75 pages 2 hours read

Geraldine Brooks

Horse

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022

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Chapters 19-24Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 19 Summary: “Theo”

Theo brings his painting to the Support Center where conservator Jeremy Raines will inspect, clean, and evaluate it. Raines concurs that the painting is from the mid-19th century. Raines discovers “Lexington” written on the frame and assumes it was painted in Lexington, Kentucky. Jess spots the painting through Raines’s office window. She and Theo recognize each other. Jess mentions that the horse in the painting has a bone structure remarkably like that of her skeleton. Raines suggests that Jess bring Theo to her lab.

Jess shows Theo the skeleton, explaining the process she will use for disarticulating it. Jess shows him the reference images she is using, mentioning that she will soon be viewing the original in the National Gallery. Theo mentions his thesis, asking if he can come. Jess agrees, and takes a moment to apologize for her behavior over the bike.

Back at Raines’s lab, the conservator has uncovered the signature of Thomas J. Scott, who painted the portrait Jess and Theo will be viewing. Raines explains that it is not a coincidence; owners of horses famous enough to be painted were part of a small, elite group. Jess clarifies that “Lexington” is not a reference to the location where the horse was painted, but instead his name.