Studies of a Rearing Horse Attacked by a Lion and a Lion Wrestling with a Serpent

Eugène Delacroix French

Not on view

The turbulent forms of the animals featured on this sheet show Delacroix’s imagination at work in ink. Animal attacks and hunts were a constant theme in his work from 1828 onward. His firsthand experiences witnessing clashes between creatures combined with his study of works by other artists, such as the dramatic seventeenth-century hunts of Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, enabled him to invent violent confrontations with his pen. The repetition of the entangled animals produces an effect aptly compared to "time-stopped motion" and gives a sense of successive moments in the writhing struggle.

Studies of a Rearing Horse Attacked by a Lion and a Lion Wrestling with a Serpent, Eugène Delacroix (French, Charenton-Saint-Maurice 1798–1863 Paris), Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, on writing paper

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Studies of a Rearing Horse Attacked by a Lion and a Lion Wrestling with a Serpent, Eugène Delacroix (French, Charenton-Saint-Maurice 1798–1863 Paris), Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, on writing paper
Studies of a Rearing Horse Attacked by a Lion and a Lion Wrestling with a Serpent, Eugène Delacroix (French, Charenton-Saint-Maurice 1798–1863 Paris), Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, on writing paper

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.