A Moroccan Couple on Their Terrace

A Moroccan Couple on Their Terrace is a drawing created by Eugène Delacroix in 1832. Executed primarily using watercolor over underlying traces of graphite, this small, vibrant study was captured during the artist's pivotal six-month journey to North Africa. Delacroix’s participation in the diplomatic mission to Morocco and Algeria provided him with immediate access to scenes of daily life away from the idealized Western studio tradition. The choice of watercolor allowed him to rapidly document the transient effects of the intense Mediterranean light and the saturated local colors, vital elements central to his Romantic sensibilities. This work is a crucial document of that trip and is housed in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The intimate composition focuses on a couple resting on a terrace, utilizing the flat roofs typical of Moroccan architecture as a sunlit stage. The man and woman are depicted in traditional attire, surrounded by low walls and small potted plants that emphasize a sense of domestic seclusion. Delacroix was less concerned with ethnographic documentation than with capturing authentic visual drama and the interplay of color on skin and fabric. He uses rich washes of blues, reds, and yellows to differentiate the textures of the textiles, highlighting the relaxed intimacy between the figures.

This piece stands as a significant preparatory work that informed the explosion of Orientalist imagery in French painting throughout the 19th century. Though classified technically as a drawing due to the foundational graphite sketch, the detailed application of watercolor elevates the status of the finished work. As studies by a major French Romantic master, Delacroix’s travel sketches remain highly valued. Because of the age and importance of the original concepts, high-quality prints reflecting the dynamic color palette of the work are widely available through various public domain collections globally.