Ferdinand-Victor-Eugène Delacroix

Vente Delacroix, Paris, 17-19 February 1864, possibly part of lot 313 (Combat du Giaour et du Pacha, Études et variantes pour cette composition (14));
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot;
sale, London, Sotheby's, 20 June 1989, lot 9,
where acquired by the present owner

New York, Wildenstein, Neo-classicism to Barbizon: French Drawings and Oil Sketches from the First Half of the 19th Century, 1999;
Birmingham, Birmingham Museum of Art, Delacroix and the Matter of Finish, 2014

A. Robaut, L'Oeuvre complet de Eugène Delacroix: peintures, dessins, gravures, lithographies, Paris 1885, vol. I, p. 160, under no. 601 (with incorrect dimensions);
M. Sérullaz, Mémorial de l'exposition Eugène Delacroix organisée au Musée du Louvre à l'occasion du centenaire de la Mort de l'artiste, Paris 1963, p. 168, under no. 221;
G.A. Rodetis, 'Delacroix: The Romantic Sensibility Visualized through the Poetry of Shakespeare and Byron', unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1987, p. 316;
L. Johnson, The Paintings of Eugène Delacroix: A Critical Catalogue, vol. III, Oxford 1986, p. 71, under no. 257;
J. Goodrich, 'Neo-classicism to Barbizon...' Review: The State of Critical Art in New York, vol. V, number 3, October 1999, pp. 35-36

Laid down on thick card which is hinged at upper margin to mount. Lower left corner is made up. There are several losses throughout the sheet. There is a hole at the left margin, in the center and there are number of losses at the right margin in the center. There is damage (which has been repaired) to the upper right corner, the tip is missing and the area around this has suffered. There appears to be some water damage in the lower right corner. There is also a larger water stain further up the right margin and a small water stain/splash at the upper left margin. Scattered foxing throughout the sheet. Despite the condition issues mentioned above the pen and ink and wash remains strong and vibrant and the image still powerful. Sold in a decorative gilded frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This powerful, swirling study is one of four that relate to Delacroix's 1835 painting of the same subject, which is now in the Petit Palais, Paris (fig. 1).¹  The other three drawings are all in the Louvre.² 

Delacroix approached the subject on a number of occasions in both his sketches and paintings, and had already exhibited a painting of the same subject, now at the Art Institute of Chicago, at the Galerie Lebrun in 1826.³  It was a theme that was to recur in his work from 1824 onwards.  The source of his inspiration was the poetry of Lord Byron, and specifically The Giaour, A Fragment of a Turkish Tale, first published in 1813.  Byron's story is set in 17th-century Greece, and the fight depicted here takes place because the slave girl Leila was unfaithful to her Turkish master, Hassan, who has had her drowned at sea as a punishment.  Leila's Venetian lover, the Giaour, and his allies seek to get revenge by ambushing Hassan and his escort.  The artist has chosen to depict the moment when the Giaour slays Hassan.

Delacroix was an avid follower of modern developments in literature and music and was living in an age of decadence for the arts.  He drew inspiration from many literary sources, both early and contemporary, but Byron's poetry has been described as the most important of all of these sources for his art.

The present drawing is a bold and confident interpretation of the battle between the Giaour and Hassan.  The fight takes place right up against the picture plane which intensifies the vivacity and violence of the scene.  Delacroix has created a compact space of action where it is hard to distinguish between horse and rider - the two become fused.  As Alfred Robaut described in his entry for the painting and the present sheet, the horses appear to take on human characteristics, 'Le cheval de Delacroix est presque une creature humaine:  il l'associe à toutes les actions de ses héros; il lui prête leur passions, il lui fait partager leurs rivalités ou leur perils.' ⁴

Of the four studies relating to the artist's 1835 canvas, this is the closest in composition to the final version.  Also, the mixture of media employed, a combination of wash, chalk and pencil, make this drawing much more painterly in finish than the other three sketches in the Louvre.

It is not known how this dynamic and powerful drawing entered Corot's collection, but we do know that Delacroix had high praise for his fellow artist and that Corot reciprocated his feelings.

In Lee Johnson's 'Portrait of Delacroix' he discusses how those that knew the artist were 'struck by the remarkable contrast between his polished exterior and the impulsive, savage, passionate spirit lurking beneath it.'⁵  Delacroix's, The Combat of the Giaour and Hassan peels back another layer of the artist's persona, revealing that 'passionate spirit' that he cleverly concealed in everyday life.

¹ L. Johnson, op. cit., vol. III, p. 71, no 257, reproduced, vol. IV, pl. 75

²  Three sketches in the Louvre (RF 9331, RF 9322, and RF5309)

³  Johnson, op. cit., vol. I, no. 114, reproduced, vol. II, pl. 100)

⁴ A. Robaut, op. cit., p. 160, under nos. 600 and 601

⁵ Johnson, op. cit., vol. III, in 'Portrait of Delacroix' p. 10