Description
Eugène Delacroix transforms Gioacchino Rossini into a lively caricature, standing broadly as he supports three operatic figures. Scores fill the composer’s pockets, making music part of the body’s comic construction. Figaro, Rosina and Othello become companions in an improbable balance, allowing the Théâtre Italien to take human form through its composer and his characters.
Dated 1821, this drawing combines graphite with brush and brown wash. Red chalk on its reverse helped transfer the image to a lithographic stone, connecting the sheet with the published satire. Delacroix makes wit depend on arrangement, turning a person and musical roles into one exaggerated structure. The work preserves the design in preparation, where drawn forms and tonal washes give a theatrical idea a sharp and memorable visual presence.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Eugène Delacroix collection.
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