Bengal Tiger
1829
Medium
Lithograph in black on light gray China paper laid down on ivory wove paper (chine collé)
Dimensions
Image: 32.5 × 46.4 cm (12 13/16 × 18 5/16 in.); Sheet: 46.7 × 62 cm (18 7/16 × 24 7/16 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
41095
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Delacroix’s largest pair of pendant prints features a monumental lion (1927.1646) and a regal tiger (seen here), presented in a kind of face-off. Ancient Roman games regularly pitted Barbary lions and Bengal tigers against each other. Into the late 19th century, they were still made occasional enemies for entertainment and profit, as in one heavily wagered bout to the death in India. While this particular big cat may appear passive compared with the ravening lion, the tiger usually triumphed in ...
About the Artist
Eugène Delacroix · 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...