Figure Studies for the Salon du Roi, Palais Bourbon, Paris

Figure Studies for the Salon du Roi, Palais Bourbon, Paris is a foundational drawing created by Eugène Delacroix between 1833 and 1838. This preliminary work, executed using pen and iron gall ink over graphite, was essential for the artist’s most ambitious public commission during the July Monarchy: the decoration of the ceiling of the Salon du Roi, or King’s Room, at the Palais Bourbon, seat of the French National Assembly. The technique, combining rapid graphite underdrawing with the decisive, structural lines of iron gall ink, allowed Delacroix to quickly fix the poses and dramatic movement of the figures destined for the large-scale ceiling murals.

The drawings depict various heroic figures intended for the final composition, which synthesized history, allegory, and mythology to celebrate key civic virtues like Justice, War, Agriculture, and Industry. Delacroix carefully developed the anatomy and scale necessary for these monumental scenes. The energetic handling of the ink lines captures the immediacy of the artist's ideas and provides a vital insight into his compositional process, illustrating the transition from rapid conceptual sketch to fully realized decorative program.

The work resides in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it serves as a critical document of 19th-century French Romantic draftsmanship. As this significant study is now established in the public domain, high-quality reference photographs and archival prints are widely accessible, supporting global scholarly research into Delacroix's career and his mastery of preparatory drawing.