Heads and Paws of Lions
n.d.
Medium
Watercolor and graphite on tan wove paper
Dimensions
19.2 × 12.3 cm (7 9/16 × 4 7/8 in.)
Classification
watercolor
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
18686
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
While Delacroix never completed classical academy training, the practice of drawing from three-dimensional sculptural fragments stayed with him. He sketched details for future paintings like these from live caged animals as well as from dissected cadavers. Delacroix’s friend and fellow artist Antoine-Louis Barye even used casts of animal parts for his monochrome bronzes. In contrast, Delacroix’s touches of color increase the liveliness of these isolated images.
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...