c. 1858／Oil on canvas
32.4 x 40.6 cm
400 Years of Western Paintings – Masterpieces from Tokyo Fuji Art Museum –
Exhibition period：Saturday April 12～Sunday June 8, 2025
Nagoya City Art Museum (Aichi, Japan)
SUMMARY
The oriental-themed paintings by Delacroix are well-known for unrivaled ingenious achievements. Since the Egyptian campaign of Napoleon, Orientalism had spread throughout Europe and been prevalent in the early 19th century together with the subjects of Romantic paintings. Circassians are an ethic group that reside in the region along the coasts of the Black Sea in Ciscaucasia, where is located at the foot of the Caucasus mountains on the border of Europe and Asia. In the medieval period, many of the Circassians were sent as slaves to Islamic countries. It is well-known that they were used as Mamluks (slave soldiers) and established the Mamluk dynasty of Egypt. Despite the small picture, the free and flowing brush strokes, pink and blue tones of the sky, and brilliant, jewel-like colors that are seen on this work fully represent the characteristics in style of the artist which were often seen in his late works. Previously known as Mamluk Cavalry, this painting was considered, without any clear evidences, to have been created between 1828 and 1835. The fact, however, is that Mamluks generally wear a Muslim’s turban: In fact, such an appearance of Mamluk is depicted in the earlier works by Delacroix, Géricault, Gros, Carle Vernet and other painters. In addition, the features of the Circassians are certainly reflected on the figures in this painting, but due to some imaginary elements seemingly added onto the figures’ clothes, there is a concern remaining over identifying the figures as the Circassians with conviction. As such, an assumption can be established that it may be an original view that Delacroix created, summoning up his memories on views and scenes that were retained from his journey to North Africa in the first half of 1832. It is partly because in his later years, Delacroix was keen on adding his own unique artistic creation, as shown on this painting, when painting oriental clothes. There is a drawing, dated April 9, 1858, of the same composition as this painting. It is regarded as a preparatory drawing for this oil painting, providing a compelling evidence that this work was created around 1858.
ARTIST
Eugène Delacroix
1798-1863
List of artworks by the same artist
INFORMATION
Saturday, April 12 - Sunday, June 8, 2025
400 Years of Western Paintings – Masterpieces from Tokyo Fuji Art Museum – Nagoya City Art Museum (Aichi, Japan)
Friday, July 26 - Monday, September 23, 2024
400 Years of Western Paintings – Masterpieces from Tokyo Fuji Art Museum – Shizuoka City Museum of Art (Shizuoka, Japan)
Saturday, September 17 - Sunday, November 20, 2022
400 Years of Western Paintings – Masterpieces from Tokyo Fuji Art Museum – Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design (Toyama, Japan)
Saturday, July 16 - Sunday, September 4, 2022
Masterpieces from Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art (Kumamoto, Japan)
Saturday, March 19 - Sunday, May 8, 2022
Masterpieces of European Paintings From Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Collection Saga Prefectural Art Museum (Saga, Japan)
Saturday, October 23 - Sunday, December 26, 2021
The 400 Years of Western Painting: Masterpieces From Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts (Tochigi, Japan)
Friday, July 9 - Sunday, August 29, 2021
400 Years of European Paintings: Masterpieces From Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art (Okayama, Japan)
Tuesday, December 15 - Sunday, January 31, 2021
How to Read Western Paintings: Masterpieces from Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum (Okinawa, Japan)
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400 Years of Western Paintings: Masterpieces from Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Miyazaki Prefectural Art Museum (Miyazaki, Japan)
Wednesday, July 22 - Sunday, September 6, 2020
400 Years of Western Paintings: Masterpieces from Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Oita Prefectural Art Museum (Oita, Japan)
Thursday, February 20 - Sunday, April 12, 2020
How to Read Western Paintings: Masterpieces from Tokyo Fuji Art Museum The Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki (Ibaraki, Japan)
Tuesday, September 3 - Tuesday, October 22, 2019
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Saturday, January 12 - Saturday, May 4, 2019
500 Years of Western Paintings: Collection of Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Shanghai PowerLong Museum (Shanghai, China)
Tuesday, October 23 - Sunday, December 23, 2018
500 Years of Western Paintings: Collection of Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Tsinghua University Art Museum (Beijing, China)
Saturday, November 14 - Sunday, January 31, 2016
Travels and Art: Discovery, Wonder and Dreams The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama (Saitama, Japan)
Friday, April 22 - Sunday, May 29, 2005
Impressionists and Great Masters of Western Paintings Yatsushiro Municipal Museum (Kumamoto, Japan)
Friday, August 1 - Sunday, August 31, 2003
A Great Masters of Impressionist and Modern Arts Iwate Prefectural Hall (Iwate, Japan)
Thursday, January 2 - Sunday, January 26, 2003
Great Masters of Modern Japanese Oil Paintings Saga Prefectural Art Museum (Saga, Japan)
Friday, November 8 - Sunday, November 24, 2002
Great Masters of Modern Paintings Nagasaki Prefectural Museum (Nagasaki, Japan)
Saturday, October 5 - Monday, November 4, 2002
Art of the West & Art of Japan Exhibition: Monet, Renoir, Cezanne… Ikeno Taiga, Tani Buncho, and Others Shimane Art Museum (Shimane, Japan)
Saturday, September 7 - Sunday, September 29, 2002
Four Centuries of Occidental Paintings from the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Collection SOGO Museum of Art (Kanagawa, Japan)
Saturday, July 20 - Sunday, September 1, 2002
The Great Masters of Art Hida Takayama Museum of Art (Gifu, Japan)
Thursday, May 16 - Sunday, June 23, 2002
Four Centuries of Occidental Paintings from the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Collection Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art (Kumamoto, Japan)
Sunday, October 1 - Sunday, December 3, 2000
Masterpieces of Western Paintings from the Renaissance to the 20th Century National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (Taipei, Taiwan)
Saturday, June 14 - Monday, July 7, 1997
400 Years of Art in the East and West—From the Collection of Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art (Ishikawa, Japan)
Friday, October 16 - Thursday, November 5, 1992
Masterpieces of European Oil Painting: The Paintings in 20th Century from the Renaissance to Impressionism China Art Gallery (Beijing, China)
Provenance: Baron sale, March 23, 1861, as Circassian tenant un cheval par la bride Adolphe E. Borie, Philadelphia, until 1880 Mrs. Borie until at least 1887 Erwin Davis, New York Georges H. Story, from whom acquired in 1906 Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut, 1906-1989 Exhibited: Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, Loan Exhibited of Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings and Prints by Eugene Delacroix, 1930, No.40 Middletown, Connecticut, 1931 New London, Connecticut, Lyman Allen Museum, 1936 Springfield, Massachusetts, Museum of Fine Arts, The Romamtic Revolution,1939, No.23 New York, Wildenstein and Co., Eugene Delacroix 1798-1863, 1944, p.15, no.4, ill., as Mameluke horseman. Hartford, Connenticut, Wadsworth Atheneum, The Romantic Circle, 1952, no.29 Cambrige, Masssachusetts, Fog Art Museum, Delacroix in New England Collection, 1955, no.1955, no.2 as Mameluke Horseman New York, Salander O’Reilly Galleries, Inc. Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Eugene Delacroix: An exhibition of Paintings, Drawings and Watercolor, 1986, no.56, on loan, as Mameluke Horseman.
Literature: Edward Stahan, ed., The Art Treasures of American being the Choices Works of Art in the Public and Private Collections of North America, Philadelphia, 1879-82, vol.Ⅱ, pp.16, 24, “… a study of grace and beauty.” E.Durand-Greville, “La Peinture aux Etats-Unis; les Galeries Privées”, Gazetta des Beaux-Arts, July 1887, p.71 Lee Johnson, “Two Exotic Horse Paintings by Eugene Delacroix”, RACAR (Canadian Art Review), vol.Ⅸ, nos.1-2, pp.75-77, fig3, ill.,“…Whether or not the Hartford picture is an ethnologically accurate portrayal of a Circassian and his horse’s furniture, it is a delightful work… it has a special individuality in being of an unusual subject and design for so late a work, treated with an exquisité touch.” Lee Johnson, The Paintings of Eugene Delacroix; A Critical Catalogue, Oxford, 1986, vol.Ⅲ, p.207, no.410 and vol. Ⅳ, pl.222,ill.
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