Orientalism in the Paintings of Eugène Delacroix

Delacroix, Death of Sardanapalus, 1826, Louvre

The same room that holds Géricault’s Raft of the Medusa at the Musée du Louvre also contains three paintings by the French painter Eugène Delacroix. In each of these paintings, oriental influences are seen. His most exotic work is Death of Sardanapalus, 1826, which is based on a poem by Lord Byron. In this poem, a horrible Assyrian leader, Sardanapalus, refuses to accept defeat. Instead, he watches as all his belongings, including humans, are destroyed. There is a sense of the exotic with the hookah in the right corner and the ivory elephant head with precious stones placed at the base of Sardanapalus’s bed. It is clear that this scene does not take place in Europe. Within the painting, Delacroix emphasizes the amount of material possessions that the ruler has through lavish details and rich colors. His concubines are adorned with beautiful jewels. One has a ring on every finger while even the horse is wearing an elaborate bejeweled bridle. Within the painting, the two primary colors used are gold and red, alluding to the wealth displayed in the painting. Despite its decadence, the work depicts a gruesome image with the slaughtering of the concubines. These women are being brutally murdered while their leader does nothing. As the bodies of his women begin to fall, Sardanapalus remains emotionless, unaffected by the violence caused by his actions.

Delacroix, Massacre at Chios, 1822-24, Louvre

Although Delacroix’s Massacre at Chios, 1822-1824, located in the Musée du Louvre, also depicts the slaying of a group of people from the Orient, this painting is not as exotic as The Death of Sardanapalus because it is not as extravagant. The people within the work are not adorned in jewels. Instead, they are common people, barefoot and wearing rags. Nonetheless, the scene is just as disturbing as the previous image. In the painting’s bottom right corner, a young woman has just been killed while her baby still clings to her breast. Although the central figure in the painting is a man, the majority of the dead are helpless women of all ages. It is interesting to note that in the other painting, women are also the ones being killed.

Delacroix’s focus on Oriental women is seen in another one of his works at the Musée du Louvre, Women of Algiers, 1834. In this painting, three Middle Eastern women are seen lounging in their harem. Although they are not being harmed like the other women depicted, they are unable to control their surroundings because they cannot avoid the gaze of the viewer. Exotic details similar to those used in The Death of Sardanapalus are seen, making it obvious that this scene does not take place in Europe. As a result, it becomes acceptable to objectify and look at these women without their permission because they are not European.

Delacroix, Women of Algiers, 1834, Louvre

*Picture of Women of Algiers: http://www.louvre.fr/llv/activite/detail_parcours.jspCURRENT_LLV_PARCOURS%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673389836&CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673390014&CURRENT_LLV_CHEMINEMENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673390014&bmLocale=en