Fallen Horse and Dead Knight

The powerful drawing, Fallen Horse and Dead Knight, created by Eugène Delacroix French, 1798-1863, exemplifies the dramatic potential of early Romanticism in France. Executed between 1817 and 1829, this preparatory work utilizes graphite on cream wove paper. Delacroix employed the careful application of graphite with subtle touches of stumping, a technique involving blurring the pencil marks, to create soft shadows and volumetric forms. This technical approach lends the tragic subject—the intertwined figures of the collapsed horse and its defeated rider—a powerful sculptural quality, even in monochrome.

The subject matter reflects the era's fascination with intense historical drama, chaos, and suffering—themes that Delacroix would explore frequently in his monumental oil paintings. The dynamism inherent in the composition captures a moment of ultimate defeat, characteristic of the shift in French art toward the high emotion and individual pathos central to the Romantic movement.

This piece serves as an important document of Delacroix’s evolving style during the crucial decade of the 1820s, showing his transition into the mature master who defined French history painting. The Art Institute of Chicago proudly maintains this significant work in its permanent collection, contributing to the global understanding of the master’s preliminary techniques. As a foundational piece from the French Romantic period, the work’s imagery often informs scholarly publications, and high-quality prints and reproductions are frequently made available through public domain initiatives.