The Giaour on Horseback (recto); Study of a Woman with Head and Arms Thrown Back, and Study of the Head of an Old Man (verso).

Eugène Delacroix

1824–26 · Pen and iron gall ink with wash over graphite · Drawings and Prints

This dynamic study of a Venetian warrior (the Giaour) furiously racing after his beloved's killer, Hassan, was inspired by Byron's poem "The Giaour, a Fragment of a Turkish Tale," first published in 1813. Fascinated by this romance of passion and violence, Delacroix repeatedly portrayed the fatal combat between the Muslim master of the harem girl Leila and her avenging lover.

Artist

Eugène Delacroix

Date

1824–26

Medium

Pen and iron gall ink with wash over graphite

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift from the Karen B. Cohen Collection of Eugène Delacroix, in honor of Jane Roberts, 2015