Study for "The Sultan of Morocco and His Entourage"

Study for "The Sultan of Morocco and His Entourage" by Eugène Delacroix (1845) is a powerful preparatory drawing residing in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Executed in graphite, the drawing captures a preliminary arrangement of figures and animals related to the artist’s large-scale Orientalist painting. The sheet is meticulously squared in white chalk, a technical necessity indicating that Delacroix intended to transfer or scale up this specific composition for the final canvas.

This drawing exemplifies Delacroix’s sustained engagement with North African subjects, stemming from his pivotal 1832 journey to Morocco. The detailed graphite work focuses on the dynamic grouping of men, including soldiers and attendants, positioned alongside their horses, demonstrating the artist’s concern for movement and the dramatic organization of his subjects.

As a leading figure in French Romanticism, Delacroix often utilized such highly refined studies to resolve the complexities of crowded compositions before committing to paint. This piece offers invaluable insight into the creation of The Sultan of Morocco and His Entourage, a significant work celebrating the perceived majesty and pageantry of Moroccan royalty. The detail and clarity captured in this preparatory drawing ensured the vitality and dramatic tension of the completed painting. Studies of this type, which reveal the master’s working process, are often categorized as drawing in museum archives, and high-quality prints and documentation are frequently made available through public domain collections for scholarly research.