Angel with a Crown of Laurel, or Figure of Victory after Mantegna

Angel with a Crown of Laurel, or Figure of Victory after Mantegna is an important early drawing by Eugène Delacroix, executed between 1820 and 1830. This work exemplifies the young artist’s deep engagement with Renaissance masters as he developed his signature Romantic style. The study is rendered in delicate yet firm strokes of pen and iron gall ink, a technique often favored by Delacroix for preparatory copies and studies due to its high contrast and precision.

The subject directly references the work of the fifteenth-century master Andrea Mantegna, likely derived from a print source or another existing reproduction of a classical figure. This winged figure, often identified as an angel or a classical Figure of Victory, is shown mid-stride, carrying a large palm frond and wearing the titular crown of laurel. Such intensive copying of historical figures and masters like Mantegna was an essential component of academic training and the self-education of Romantic era artists.

Delacroix’s interpretation, however, subtly transforms the Renaissance source material, imbuing the athletic figure with a characteristic emotional energy that foreshadows his later dramatic compositions. This drawing demonstrates Delacroix's superb draftsmanship, providing critical insight into the evolution of his visual vocabulary during his formative years. The original drawing is conserved in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Because this historical work is now within the public domain, high-quality prints and digital reproductions are readily accessible globally for art history study.