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Description
In 1832 Eugène Delacroix joined a diplomatic envoy to French-colonized Algeria. The sights and experiences from this six-month journey fueled the rest of his career, lending his canvases an illusion of accuracy that his less-traveled competitors lacked. The artist expressed in his journals from abroad his admiration for Arab culture, even characterizing it as superior to that of post-revolutionary France. Nevertheless, in paintings like this he catered to violent European fantasies about the Arab world. Having never witnessed a lion hunt, Delacroix skillfully synthesized studies of landscapes, Islamic costume, and zoo animals to bring this narrative to life with theatrical intensity.
Provenance
Possibly sold from the artist to Vaisse for 2,500 francs [this and the following information according to Johnson 1989]. Comte d’Aquila; his sale, February 21-22, 1868, lot 7, sold for 14,505 francs. Faure, Paris, 1885 [according to Robaut 1885; see also catalogue of 1892 sale citied below]. R. Austin Robertson, New York; his estate sale, New York, American Art Association, April 7, 1892, lot 147 (ill.); sold for 13,000 francs to Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer, Chicago; bequeathed to the Art Institute, 1922.
Dimensions
76.5 × 98.5 cm (30 × 38 1/2 in.)
Movement / Period
Accession No
81505
Official Citations
Curatorial Affinity Stream
Continuing the Universe of Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863)
nineteenth century • France • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries
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