Sheet of Nine Antique Coins 1825

Eugène Delacroix made this sheet of lithographs depicting nine antique coins in 1855. Delacroix was a leading figure in the French Romantic movement. This artistic and intellectual tendency emerged partly in response to the Enlightenment’s emphasis on reason and order. Romanticism celebrated emotion, individualism, and the beauty of the natural world, and this might explain why Delacroix was drawn to the ancient world. These carefully rendered studies of classical coins offer insight into the social life of 19th-century artists and the institutions of art at the time. Here, we can see the artist engaging with the classical tradition, which was central to academic art training. By studying and copying ancient artifacts, artists sought to master the principles of ideal form and historical narrative. Delacroix and his contemporaries often visited museums and libraries to study antiquities, prints and drawings. These institutions played a crucial role in shaping artistic taste and promoting certain cultural values. To understand this work better, we might examine the curatorial decisions made by museums like the Louvre during this period, as well as the writings and teachings of influential art critics and academics. The meaning of art is always contingent on social and institutional context.