Crouching Tiger

Eugène Delacroix

1839 · Pen and brush and iron gall ink · Drawings and Prints

One of Delacroix’s favorite activities was to sketch the lions and tigers in the menagerie at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. This exquisite ink drawing combines the knowledge gained from that exercise with his observations of domestic cats to portray the arched stance of a tiger about to pounce. In addition to the pen, Delacroix employed a brush to convey bolder lines, such as the rounded back, crease of the hind leg, and distinctive broad stripes of the animal’s coat. The swirling S-curve of the tail winding around the animal’s leg adds to the coiling potential of the pose.

Artist

Eugène Delacroix

Date

1839

Medium

Pen and brush and iron gall ink

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift from the Karen B. Cohen Collection of Eugène Delacroix, in honor of Sanford I. Weill, 2013