Young Tiger Playing with its Mother (Jeune tigre jouant avec sa mère)

Young Tiger Playing with its Mother (Jeune tigre jouant avec sa mère) by Eugène Delacroix is a powerful lithograph created in 1831. As a principal figure of the French Romantic movement, Delacroix frequently turned to untamed nature and exotic subjects to express dynamism and intense emotion. This remarkable print captures a nuanced interaction between a majestic female tiger and her cub, portraying a moment of tender ferocity characteristic of the species. The subject matter reflects Delacroix's profound dedication to studying feline anatomy and behavior, viewing large cats as the ultimate symbols of natural energy.

As a print medium, the lithograph allowed Delacroix the flexibility to achieve both broad, suggestive sweeps and fine, textural detail. Created during the height of the Romantic period (1826 to 1850), this technique enabled the artist to maximize the contrast between deep, velvety blacks and bright highlights. Delacroix masterfully employed the grease crayon and scraper to articulate the musculature and the rough texture of the animals’ fur, thereby investing the scene with palpable vitality. The drama is heightened by the density of shadow, a visual technique that concentrates the viewer’s attention entirely on the powerful forms of the two animals.

This work stands as a significant piece within Delacroix's graphic oeuvre, showcasing his ability to infuse animal studies with the psychological depth previously reserved for human subjects. The piece exemplifies 19th-century French artistic trends focusing on the sublime and the wild. Today, this important lithograph is housed in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, where it continues to serve as a key reference for the artist’s prolific output of prints. Due to its historical importance, this imagery is frequently found in high-resolution formats available through public domain art initiatives.