Figures in Medieval Dress including a Bishop (recto); Figures in a Landscape (verso)

The double-sided sheet, Figures in Medieval Dress including a Bishop (recto); Figures in a Landscape (verso), is a dynamic study by Eugène Delacroix, executed across the decade spanning 1822 to 1832. The recto features detailed graphite sketches focusing on costumed figures, notably a solemn Bishop, positioning the work within the artist's intense study of historical and literary subjects prevalent during the height of the French Romantic movement. These figures demonstrate Delacroix’s early fascination with medievalism, a key influence in his subsequent large-scale historical compositions.

In contrast to the precise graphite rendering on the recto, the verso presents Figures in a Landscape, utilizing brush and brown and blue wash applied over initial graphite outlines. This fluid technique allowed Delacroix to rapidly establish atmospheric effects and tonal depth, characteristic of his spontaneous approach to composition. The immediacy evident in the washes highlights the preparatory nature of this drawing, likely serving as an initial thought study for compositions incorporating figures within dramatic, natural settings.

Classified specifically as a drawing, this piece offers essential insight into Delacroix’s working methods as he explored composition, costume studies, and tonal value concurrently. Delacroix was central to the Romantic revolution in French art, and drawings such as this illuminate the crucial preliminary stages that informed his revolutionary oil works. The work is housed in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and due to its importance in understanding the artist’s development, high-quality prints and related studies from this era are frequently utilized for public domain educational resources.