Lioness Tearing at the Chest of an Arab
1849
Medium
Soft ground etching and roulette on cream chine, laid down on white wove paper
Dimensions
Plate: 21.2 × 28.1 cm (8 3/8 × 11 1/8 in.); Sheet: 35 × 49 cm (13 13/16 × 19 5/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
104244
Art Historical Context
Eugène Delacroix, a towering figure of French Romanticism, captures raw drama in *Lioness Tearing at the of an Arab* (1849), a print that embodies the era's fascination with exoticism and untamed nature. Created during a time when European artists romanticized the "Orient" through tales of adventure and primal conflict, this etching draws from Delacroix's lifelong interest in North African motifs, sparked by his 1832 journey to Morocco. The visceral scene highlights Romanticism's emphasis on emotion, movement, and the sublime clash between beast and human. Delacroix masterfully employs soft g...
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...