Study of a Male Nude Study for "The Death of Seneca"

The Study of a Male Nude Study for "The Death of Seneca" was executed by Eugène Delacroix between 1838 and 1840. This precise drawing, rendered in graphite on buff Bristol board, served as a crucial preliminary exploration for the larger history painting, The Death of Seneca, which the Romantic master was developing during this period. Delacroix frequently used such life studies to capture the specific musculature and dramatic tension required for his grand historical and literary canvases, reflecting a continuation of the academic tradition despite his Romantic classification.

The piece focuses entirely on the subject of the male nude, capturing a figure in a specific, dynamic pose likely intended for one of the peripheral characters or attendants in the final composition. The rapid, yet controlled, application of graphite allows Delacroix to emphasize contour and volume, creating strong contrasts against the slightly colored Bristol board. This intense focus on anatomical accuracy is characteristic of the rigorous preparation that underpinned even the most expressive works of the era. Delacroix’s masterful handling of the drawing medium here reveals his careful planning for complex multi-figure scenes. While executed as a private preparatory work, such studies offer invaluable insight into the artist’s process, providing details often obscured in later finished oil paintings. This significant drawing is now housed in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and high-quality prints of this preparatory work are frequently sought after by scholars studying the master’s technique.