Delacroix’s interest in literature drew him to projects of illustration. He produced this imaginary portrait of the satirical late sixteenth–early seventeenth-century poet Mathurin Régnier for "The French Plutarch: Lives of Illustrious Men and Women of France," published in six volumes from 1844 to 1847. He also designed portraits of Jean Froissart, François Rabelais, and John Calvin for the same edition. The choice of watercolor is surprising for a work intended to be reproduced in black and white, but the by-product is this vivid demonstration of the artist’s skills as a colorist.
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Medium:Watercolor and gouache over traces of graphite on wove paper
Dimensions:12-1/8 x 8-13/16 in. (30.8 x 22.4 cm)
Classification:Drawings
Credit Line:Rogers Fund, 1969
Accession Number:69.180
Imaginary Portrait of Mathurin Régnier
Signature: Signed in brush and gray wash, lower left: Eug delacroix
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Classicism and Romanticism. French Drawings and Prints," September 15–November 1, 1970.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Drawings Recently Acquired, 1969–1971," January 18–April 16, 1972.
Paris. Cabinet des dessins, Musée du Louvre. "Dessins français du Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York de David à Picasso," October 25, 1973–January 7, 1974.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Notable Acquisitions 1965–1975," December 6, 1975–March 23, 1976.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Nineteenth Century French Drawings and Prints," June 23–August 23, 1981.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863): Paintings, Drawings, and Prints from North American Collections," April 10–June 16, 1991.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Drawings and Prints: Selections from the Permanent Collection," September 11–December 4, 2000.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Drawings and Prints: Selections from the Permanent Collection," October 25, 2004–January 23, 2005.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "In the Orbit of Jacques Louis David: Selections from the Department of Drawings and Prints," January 20–May 31, 2022.
Robaut 719;MMA 1991.42
Le Plutarque Français, vie des hommes et des femmes illustres de la France, depuis le cinquième siècle jusqu'à nos jours, avec leurs portraits en pied gravés sur acier; ouvrage fondé par Ed. [Edouard] Mennechet. vol. 3, 2nd edition. 1846, Engraved opposite p. 251, p. 251.
Adolphe Moreau Eugène Delacroix et son oeuvre. Librairie des Bibliophiles, Paris, 1873, cat. no. 64, p. 108.
Alfred-Ernest Robaut L'Oeuvre complet d'Eugène Delacroix: Peintures, Dessins, Gravures, Lithographies. Paris, 1885, cat. no. 719, p. 194, ill.
Linda Boyer Gillies, Colta Ives, Jacob Bean Classicism and Romanticism: French Drawings and Prints, 1800-1860. Ex. cat. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1970, cat. no. 31.
Jacob Bean "One Hundredth Annual Report of the Trustees for the Fiscal Year 1969-1970, Reports of the Departments: Drawings." in The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, n.s. vol. 29, no. 2, New York, October 1970, pp. 70, 71.
Drs. Fritz and Peter Nathan Dr. Fritz Nathan und Dr. Peter Nathan, 1922-1972. Zurich, 1972, cat. no. 34, ill.
Jacob Bean, Linda Boyer Gillies, Cynthia Lambros, Roseline Bacou, Réunion des Musées Nationaux Dessins français du Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: de David à Picasso 54th Exposition de Cabinet des Dessins Musée du Louvre, 25 octobre 1973–7 janvier 1974. Paris, 1973, cat. no. 39, fig. no. 20, p. 40.
Jacob Bean "Drawings." The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Notable Acquisitions, 1965-1975. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975, p. 60, ill.
Jacob Bean Patterns of Collecting: Selected Acquisitions, 1965-1975. Explanatory texts accompanying an exhibition. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975, p. 60, ill.
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The Met's collection of drawings and prints—one of the most comprehensive and distinguished of its kind in the world—began with a gift of 670 works from Cornelius Vanderbilt, a Museum trustee, in 1880.
