Young Spanish Lady in Costume of Manola
1832
Medium
Gouache and watercolor, with traces of scraping, over graphite, on cream wove paper, discolored to tan, perimeter mounted on pale brown wove paper
Dimensions
30.5 × 24.1 cm (12 1/16 × 9 1/2 in.)
Classification
watercolor
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
32962
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of Romanticism with Eugène Delacroix's *Young Spanish Lady in Costume of Manola* (1832), a delicate yet dynamic watercolor now housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department. This intimate sheet, measuring just 30.5 × 24.1 cm, captures a poised young woman in the bold, traditional attire of a *manola*—Madrid's spirited working-class heroine, known for her mantilla, comb, and colorful skirts. Delacroix, a towering figure of French Romanticism, infused the scene with exotic allure, reflecting his fascination with Spanish culture amid Europe's ...
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...