Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863)
Medium
Bronze, brown patina
Dimensions
Diameter: 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm)
Classification
Medals and Plaquettes
Culture
French, Paris
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Samuel P. Avery, 1898
Accession Number
98.7.36
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite bronze medal, crafted by the renowned French sculptor Pierre-Jean d'Angers in 1828, captures the profile of Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix1798–1863), the fiery leader of the Romantic movement in painting. At just 30 years old, Delacroix already making waves with bold works like *The Death of Sardanapalus*, and David d'Angersized his dynamic spirit in this intimate 4¼-inch (10.8 cm) plaquette. The brown patina lends a warm, aged elegance, evoking classical antiquity while celebrating a modern icon. David d'Angers, a master of medallic art from Paris, excelled in these small-s...
About the Artist
Pierre Jean David d'Angers · 1788–1856
Pierre-Jean David d'Angers, born on March 12, 1788, in Angers, France, to a wood carver and ornamental sculptor father who had fought in the Republican army, began his artistic training locally under Marchand and Jean-Jacques Delusse at the École centrale d'Angers from 1806 to 1807. In 1808, he arrived in Paris with scant funds and entered the studio of Philippe-Laurent Roland, later working under...