Two Studies of a Reclining Male Nude, after Gericault (recto); Figure Studies after Rubens's “Fall of the Damned” (verso)
This sheet attests to the relationship between Delacroix and his slightly older contemporary Théodore Gericault. The two artists met and became friends at Pierre Narcisse Guérin’s studio. Here, Delacroix copied a figure study for the work that launched Gericault’s career, "The Raft of the Medusa" (1818−19; Louvre), a monumental painting about the aftermath of a recent French naval shipwreck. Delacroix had posed for one of the victims in the painting, and the similarity of this figure’s position to the one he adopted as model suggests that Delacroix here copied a drawing of himself.
While preparing "The Raft of the Medusa," Gericault looked to the tormented and tangled bodies in Peter Paul Rubens’s "Little Last Judgment" (ca. 1621–22; Alte Pinakothek, Munich), making drawings after an engraving by Jonas Suyderhoef known as "Fall of the Damned." Here, Delacroix copied some of the same figures. He likely referred directly to the print, given that there are some falling figures here not seen in Gericault’s work, yet his simplified manner of rendering the forms emulates that of his older friend.
While preparing "The Raft of the Medusa," Gericault looked to the tormented and tangled bodies in Peter Paul Rubens’s "Little Last Judgment" (ca. 1621–22; Alte Pinakothek, Munich), making drawings after an engraving by Jonas Suyderhoef known as "Fall of the Damned." Here, Delacroix copied some of the same figures. He likely referred directly to the print, given that there are some falling figures here not seen in Gericault’s work, yet his simplified manner of rendering the forms emulates that of his older friend.
Artwork Details
- Title: Two Studies of a Reclining Male Nude, after Gericault (recto); Figure Studies after Rubens's “Fall of the Damned” (verso)
- Artist: Eugène Delacroix (French, Charenton-Saint-Maurice 1798–1863 Paris)
- Artist: After Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, Siegen 1577–1640 Antwerp)
- Artist: After Théodore Gericault (French, Rouen 1791–1824 Paris)
- Date: ca. 1820–22
- Medium: Graphite, pen and brown ink (recto); pen and brush and brown ink (verso)
- Dimensions: Sheet: 10 in. × 13 1/16 in. (25.4 × 33.2 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Gift from the Karen B. Cohen Collection of Eugène Delacroix, in honor of Clement C. Moore II, 2024
- Object Number: 2024.591.57
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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Eugène Delacroix
Eugène Delacroix
1815–63
Eugène Delacroix
19th century
Multiple artists/makers
1852
Eugène Delacroix
1798–1863
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