A Wall Decorated in Spanish Tiles

Eugène Delacroix French

Not on view

Watercolors were still cumbersome to use outside the studio at this date, so Delacroix often added notes on color to his graphite sketches for later reference. He used that process to execute this drawing of a distinctive tile wall rapidly on-site and then carefully fill in the design with watercolor at another time. Delacroix adapted this tile pattern in one of the most significant paintings inspired by his visit to North Africa, "Women of Algiers in their Apartment" (1834; Musée du Louvre), underlining the crucial role of drawings in providing source material he could consult throughout his career.

A Wall Decorated in Spanish Tiles, Eugène Delacroix (French, Charenton-Saint-Maurice 1798–1863 Paris), Watercolor over graphite

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A Wall Decorated in Spanish Tiles, Eugène Delacroix (French, Charenton-Saint-Maurice 1798–1863 Paris), Watercolor over graphite
A Wall Decorated in Spanish Tiles, Eugène Delacroix (French, Charenton-Saint-Maurice 1798–1863 Paris), Watercolor over graphite

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