As the most prominent member of the Romantic School, Delacroix never allowed any particular genre to dominate his oeuvre. Moreover, his only voyage to North Africa in 1832, during which this study was made, had a profound effect on his artistic career. "His vision of a living, sublime Antiquity in these countries enabled him to strike a balance between the romantic and classical elements in his work." (M.A. Stevens, The Orientalists, (exh. cat.) 1984, p. 122) London.
A possible preparatory drawing for this work exists in the upper right quadrant of sheet no. 1546 in the Delacroix works on paper collection in the Louvre (Eugène Delacroix, Dessins Français du Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1984, II, p.132, no.1546 (illustrated))

We are grateful to Professor Lee Johnson for authenticating this work.