About this artwork
In 1832 Eugène Delacroix joined a diplomatic envoy to French-colonized Algeria. The sights and experiences from this six-month journey fueled the rest of his career, lending his canvases an illusion of accuracy that his less-traveled competitors lacked. The artist expressed in his journals from abroad his admiration for Arab culture, even characterizing it as superior to that of post-revolutionary France. Nevertheless, in paintings like this he catered to violent European fantasies about the Arab world. Having never witnessed a lion hunt, Delacroix skillfully synthesized studies of landscapes, Islamic costume, and zoo animals to bring this narrative to life with theatrical intensity.
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Status
- On View, Gallery 220
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Department
- Painting and Sculpture of Europe
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Artist
- Eugène Delacroix
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Title
- Lion Hunt
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Place
- France (Artist's nationality)
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Date
- 1860–1861
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Medium
- Oil on canvas
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Inscriptions
- Inscribed at lower left: Eug. Delacroix / 1861
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Dimensions
- 76.5 × 98.5 cm (30 × 38 1/2 in.)
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Credit Line
- Potter Palmer Collection
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Reference Number
- 1922.404
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/81505/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
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