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Le Corsaire
Details
EUGÈNE-VICTOR-FERDINAND DELACROIX (1798-1863)
Le Corsaire
signé 'Eug. D.' (en bas à gauche)
graphite, aquarelle et gouache
24.4 x 19.3 cm.
signed 'Eug. D.' (lower left)
graphite, watercolour and bodycolour
9 5⁄8 x 7 5⁄8 in.
Le Corsaire
signé 'Eug. D.' (en bas à gauche)
graphite, aquarelle et gouache
24.4 x 19.3 cm.
signed 'Eug. D.' (lower left)
graphite, watercolour and bodycolour
9 5⁄8 x 7 5⁄8 in.
Provenance
Galerie Charpentier, Paris. Vente, Sotheby's, Londres, 28 mars 1973, lot 106. Mademoiselle H. Fritz, acquis au cours de celle-ci. Acquis auprès de Christie’s par les propriétaires actuels en 1999.
Exhibited
Paris, Galerie Charpentier, Un siècle d’aquarelle, de Géricault à nos jours, mars 1942, no. 61.Paris, Galerie Quatre Chemins, Aquarelles de Delacroix, mai-juin 1946, no. 28. Prague, organisé par la Bibliothèque nationale de Paris, Delacroix, 1955, no. 18. Paris, Musée du Louvre, Centenaire de la mort d'Eugène Delacroix, mai-septembre 1963, no. 141 (illustré).
Further details
Ce dessin représente un épisode du poème The Corsair, publié par Lord Byron en 1814. L’histoire suit Conrad, un pirate, qui mène un raid spectaculaire contre Seyd, un pasha turc. Conrad est capturé au cours de l’attaque alors qu’il tente de libérer les femmes du harem du pasha, et Seyd le fait emprisonner. Cette action conduit Gulnare, l’une des femmes du harem, à aider Conrad dans sa tentative d’évasion. L’épisode illustré dans la présente aquarelle est tiré du troisième et dernier chant du poème : craignant que le pasha ne les tue tous deux, Gulnare apporte un poignard dans la cellule de Conrad et tente de le convaincre d’assassiner Seyd. Face à son refus, et alors que la possibilité de fuite s’éloigne, Gulnare tue elle-même le pasha.Comme de nombreux artistes, Delacroix est profondément influencé par la littérature et la poésie, notamment par Hamlet de Shakespeare ou Faust de Goethe. L’influence des oeuvres de Byron sur la création de Delacroix commence en mai 1824, lorsqu’il lit The Giaour: A Fragment of a Turkish Tale (Byron, Londres, 1813) (C. Bessede, Un duel romantique : Le Giaour de Lord Byron par Delacroix, cat. exp., Musée du Louvre, Paris, 2020, p. 14). Sa connexion avec l’oeuvre de Byron est immédiate : dans son journal du 11 mai 1824, il écrit : 'Le poète est très riche : souviens-toi, pour t’enflammer éternellement, de certains passages de Byron. Ils me conviennent bien' (ibid.).Il s’inspire de la tragédie et de la passion des poèmes orientalistes de Byron, illustrant en aquarelle, en huile ou en gravure plusieurs épisodes de The Giaour, The Corsair, The Bride of Abydos ou encore Marino Faliero.En 1831, Delacroix expose au Salon de Paris une aquarelle achevée représentant Le Corsaire. Lors du centenaire de la mort de Delacroix en 1963, la question est posée de savoir si la présente aquarelle correspond à l’oeuvre exposée au Salon ou s’il s’agit d’une étude préparatoire (M. Sérullaz, loc. cit.). Cependant, à la fin des années 1990, une autre aquarelle réapparaît, aujourd’hui conservée au J.Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles (inv. 97.GC.30 ; voir P. Noon, Constable to Delacroix: British Art and the French Romantics, cat. exp., Tate Britain, Londres, 2003, no. 184, p. 277), et elle correspond plus précisément à la description de l’oeuvre présentée au Salon de 1831.
On peut donc supposer, compte tenu de sa facture plus libre et de sa signature abrégée, que la présente aquarelle est réalisée peu avant 1831, en préparation de l’aquarelle envoyée au Salon — une étape importante dans le processus créatif de Delacroix à mesure qu’il transforme les récits de Byron en images.
'll releva la tête, ébloui par la lumière ;
Ses yeux semblaient douter de voir juste.
Quelle est cette forme ? Si ce n’est point un spectre d’air,
Il me semble que le visage de mon geôlier est d’une merveilleuse beauté !'
- Lord Byron
This drawing depicts an episode from Lord Byron’s 1814 poem The Corsair. The story follows Conrad, a pirate, as he leads a dramatic raid against Seyd, a Turkish Pasha. Conrad is captured during the raid, as he attempts to free the women in the Pasha’s harem, and imprisoned by Seyd. It is this action that leads to Gulnare, one of the women in the harem, aiding Conrad in his attempt to escape. The episode in the present watercolour is taken from the third and final canto of the poem, where Gulnare, fearing the Pasha will kill them both, takes a dagger to Conrad’s cell, and attempts to convince him to kill Seyd, but he refuses. Gulnare, with the chance of escape drifting, kills Seyd herself.Like many artists, Delacroix was heavily influenced by literature and prose, notably Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and Goethe’s Faust. The influence of Byron’s works on Delacroix’s artistic output began in May 1824, when he read The Giaour: A Fragment of a Turkish Tale (Byron, London, 1813) (C. Bessede, Un duel romantique: Le Giaour de Lord Byron par Delacroix, exhib. cat., Museé de Louvre, Paris, 2020, p. 14). His connection to Byron’s literary work was instant, writing in his journal entry of 11 May 1824 ‘The poet is very rich: remember, to inflame yourself eternally, certain passages from Byron. They suit me well.’ (ibid). He was inspired by the tragedy and passion of Byron’s Orientalist-themed poems, variously illustrating in watercolour, oil and engraving several episodes from poems such as The Giaour, The Corsair, The Bride of Abydos, and Marino Faliero.In 1831, Delacroix exhibited at the Salon, Paris, a finished watercolour for Le Corsair. At the time of Delacroix’s Centenary exhibition in 1963, it was asked whether the present watercolour was the Salon artwork, or a study for it (M. Sérullaz, loc. cit.). Ho wever, in the late 1990’s, a further watercolour emerged, now at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles (inv. 97.GC.30; see P. Noon, Constable to Delacroix: British Art and the French Romantics, exhib. cat., Tate Britain, London, 2003, no. 184, p. 277), which more clearly corresponds to the description of the watercolour at the Salon of 1831.
One can therefore assume, with its freer handling, and short-hand signature, that our watercolour was executed a little before 1831, in preparation for the finished salon watercolour, an important stage in Delacroix's working process as he developed Byron's stories into artwork.
"He raised his head and dazzled with the light,
His eyes seem’d dubious if he saw right:
What is that form? If not a shape of air,
Methinks, my jailor’s face shows wondrous fair!"
- Lord Byron
Fig. Eugène Delacroix, Le Corsaire, Los Angeles, The J. Paul Getty Museum.
On peut donc supposer, compte tenu de sa facture plus libre et de sa signature abrégée, que la présente aquarelle est réalisée peu avant 1831, en préparation de l’aquarelle envoyée au Salon — une étape importante dans le processus créatif de Delacroix à mesure qu’il transforme les récits de Byron en images.
'll releva la tête, ébloui par la lumière ;
Ses yeux semblaient douter de voir juste.
Quelle est cette forme ? Si ce n’est point un spectre d’air,
Il me semble que le visage de mon geôlier est d’une merveilleuse beauté !'
- Lord Byron
This drawing depicts an episode from Lord Byron’s 1814 poem The Corsair. The story follows Conrad, a pirate, as he leads a dramatic raid against Seyd, a Turkish Pasha. Conrad is captured during the raid, as he attempts to free the women in the Pasha’s harem, and imprisoned by Seyd. It is this action that leads to Gulnare, one of the women in the harem, aiding Conrad in his attempt to escape. The episode in the present watercolour is taken from the third and final canto of the poem, where Gulnare, fearing the Pasha will kill them both, takes a dagger to Conrad’s cell, and attempts to convince him to kill Seyd, but he refuses. Gulnare, with the chance of escape drifting, kills Seyd herself.Like many artists, Delacroix was heavily influenced by literature and prose, notably Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and Goethe’s Faust. The influence of Byron’s works on Delacroix’s artistic output began in May 1824, when he read The Giaour: A Fragment of a Turkish Tale (Byron, London, 1813) (C. Bessede, Un duel romantique: Le Giaour de Lord Byron par Delacroix, exhib. cat., Museé de Louvre, Paris, 2020, p. 14). His connection to Byron’s literary work was instant, writing in his journal entry of 11 May 1824 ‘The poet is very rich: remember, to inflame yourself eternally, certain passages from Byron. They suit me well.’ (ibid). He was inspired by the tragedy and passion of Byron’s Orientalist-themed poems, variously illustrating in watercolour, oil and engraving several episodes from poems such as The Giaour, The Corsair, The Bride of Abydos, and Marino Faliero.In 1831, Delacroix exhibited at the Salon, Paris, a finished watercolour for Le Corsair. At the time of Delacroix’s Centenary exhibition in 1963, it was asked whether the present watercolour was the Salon artwork, or a study for it (M. Sérullaz, loc. cit.). Ho wever, in the late 1990’s, a further watercolour emerged, now at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles (inv. 97.GC.30; see P. Noon, Constable to Delacroix: British Art and the French Romantics, exhib. cat., Tate Britain, London, 2003, no. 184, p. 277), which more clearly corresponds to the description of the watercolour at the Salon of 1831.
One can therefore assume, with its freer handling, and short-hand signature, that our watercolour was executed a little before 1831, in preparation for the finished salon watercolour, an important stage in Delacroix's working process as he developed Byron's stories into artwork.
"He raised his head and dazzled with the light,
His eyes seem’d dubious if he saw right:
What is that form? If not a shape of air,
Methinks, my jailor’s face shows wondrous fair!"
- Lord Byron
Fig. Eugène Delacroix, Le Corsaire, Los Angeles, The J. Paul Getty Museum.
Brought to you by
Antoine Lebouteiller
International Specialist