Fallen Warriors and a Runaway Horse

Eugène Delacroix

1862 · Pen and brown ink · Drawings and Prints

This late drawing of fallen warriors and a runaway horse shows how the fluidity of pen and ink enabled swift execution that could keep pace with Delacroix’s free-flowing "premières pensées" (first thoughts). The artist was generating ideas for two battle scenes when he made this drawing: "Botzaris Attacks the Turkish Camp" (1860−62; Toledo Museum of Art) and "Arabs Skirmishing in the Mountains" (1863; National Gallery of Art, Washington). Although the fleeing horse is the only moving subject in the foreground, the animated quality of line lends the sprawled figures a sense of vitality.

Artist

Eugène Delacroix

Date

1862

Medium

Pen and brown ink

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift from the Karen B. Cohen Collection of Eugène Delacroix, in honor of Colta Ives, 2013