Description
In this late drawing, Eugène Delacroix used spare layers of watercolor to record two large boats floating in a harbor, contrasting the bright tones of the French flags flying on both with the subdued hues of the water surrounding them. The artist recorded the scene during one of five stays in Dieppe, a coastal town that became a popular vacation destination after it was connected to Paris by train in 1848. Delacroix was passionate about depicting the sea and its environs and created numerous variations of this subject over the course of about a decade.
Provenance
Studio of the artist [1798-1863] (1854-1864); (his posthumous sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, February 22-27, 1864, probably part of no. 600 [“Études faites dans le port de Dieppe et dans les environs: vagues, soleils couchants, etc. (1852, 1854 et 1855)”]) (1864); Marcel Louis Guérin [1873-1948] (?-?); (M. Knoedler & Co., New York, NY) (?-before 1976); (sale, Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, May 14, 1976, no. 285, sold to Mrs. Muriel Butkin, Shaker Heights, OH) (1976); Mrs. Muriel Butkin, Shaker Heights, OH, bequeathed to the Cleveland Museum of Art (1976-2008); Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (2021-)
Accession Number
2021.108
Medium
watercolor and pencil on paper laid down on board
Dimensions
Image: 22.5 x 34.6 cm (8 7/8 x 13 5/8 in.); Sheet: 22.5 x 34.6 cm (8 7/8 x 13 5/8 in.); Mounted: 24 x 36 cm (9 7/16 x 14 3/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Credit Line
Bequest of Muriel Butkin