Adoration of the Magi, after Rubens
Medium
Graphite
Dimensions
sheet: 10 1/8 x 7 13/16 in. (25.7 x 19.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift from the Karen B. Cohen Collection of Eugène Delacroix, in honor of Philippe de Montebello, 2013
Accession Number
2013.1135.31
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate graphite drawing, *Adoration of the Magi after Rubens*, captures Eug Delacroix's deep admiration for the Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens around 1830. Depicting the biblical scene of the wise men paying homage to the Christ child, it echoes Rubens' dramatic compositions filled with swirling figures, rich emotion, and dynamic energy. Delacroix, a leading figure of French Romanticism, often turned to Old Masters like Rubens for inspiration, using such studies to refine his own exuberant style marked by bold movement and expressive line. Executed on a modest sheet measuring just 10...
About the Artist
Eugène Delacroix|Peter Paul Rubens · 1798–1863
Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863) stands as the defining figure of French Romanticism and a pivotal bridge to modernism. Born in Charenton-Saint-Maurice near Paris, he came from distinguished lineage—his mother descended from the prestigious Oeben-Riesener furniture dynasty, while persistent speculation suggested the statesman Talleyrand may have been his biological father, a theory supported by physic...