Studies of the Virgin and Holy Women for ‘The Lamentation’ 1842 - 1843

These studies of the Virgin and holy women were made by Eugène Delacroix as preparations for his painting, ‘The Lamentation’. Delacroix was working in a France still shaped by the social and political upheavals of the French Revolution. His art often grappled with themes of suffering, sacrifice, and the human condition. The figures in this study, with their faces etched with sorrow, exemplify the emotional intensity that Delacroix brought to his work. The sketches offer a glimpse into Delacroix’s creative process, as he reimagines traditional representations of mourning. We see women in various poses of grief, each rendered with delicate lines that convey a sense of vulnerability and anguish. In foregrounding the emotions of these female figures, Delacroix challenges the conventions of religious art, inviting us to contemplate the human dimensions of faith and loss.