Arab Horseman Attacked by a Lion

Oil on panelEugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863)/1849–50

Description

Man and beast intertwine to form a single writhing body in this emotionally charged depiction of a lion attacking a horse and its rider. Through short, energetic brushstrokes and carefully manipulated contrasts of light and shadow, Eugène Delacroix imbued this imagined scene with action and drama. While many artists of the period explored the theme of man versus nature, depictions of Arab men entangled with wild animals served a specific propagandistic function, justifying the brutality of French colonial rule by depicting its subjects as violent and inhuman.

Provenance

Baron Michel de Trétaigne, by 1864 [lent by him to Paris 1864]; his sale Hôtel Drouot, Paris, February 19, 1872, lot 19 as Cavalier arabe attaqué par un lion for 17,000 francs [price according to an annotated copy of the sale catalogue in the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, The Hague]. Febvre [according to Moreau 1873, Febvre purchased the painting from the Trétaigne sale]. Boucheron, by 1885 [lent to Paris 1885]. R. Austin Robertson (New York?), by 1892; his estate sale American Art Association, New York, April 8, 1892, lot 127 as Arab cavalier attacked by a Lion for $6,350 to Potter Palmer [price according to an annotated copy of the sale catalogue in the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts; buyer according to The Critic 1892]; Potter Palmer (died 1902), Chicago; his widow, Bertha Honoré Palmer (died 1918); by descent to their sons Honoré and Potter Palmer; given to the Art Institute, 1922.

Dimensions

46 × 38 cm (18 1/8 × 15 in.)

Source

The Art Institute of Chicago

Movement / Period

nineteenth century

Accession No

81503

Official Citations

[The Art Institute of Chicago Official Record][Full Resolution Image]

Curatorial Affinity Stream

Continuing the Universe of Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863)

nineteenth century • France • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries

Continuous Discovery