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Set in a valley carpeted in sage green, about a dozen armed men, on foot and horseback, close to us, line up and face off against an attack advancing from the back left in this vertical painting. The men, clothing, and horses closest to us are painted with dashes and swirling brushstrokes, which contrasts with the soft look of the approaching crowd and landscape beyond, which are painted indistinctly with loose and blended brushstrokes. All the men we can see have medium brown skin and are armed with rifles. The men close to us wear long tunics and boots in shades of teal blue, ivory white, crimson red, earth brown, and golden yellow. Most of them wear turbans and some have straight or curved daggers hanging from their waists. Closest to us in the bottom left, a chestnut-brown horse with a black mane collapses on its rider, who sprawls along the ground with arms overhead. The horse lifts its head and twists back toward us facing our left, so the white blazes down its nose are visible. Near the horse’s legs and along the left edge of the painting, a man wearing a mustard-yellow tunic kneels and leans his forehead against the barrel of his rifle, which he braces like a walking stick. His other hand rests on the hilt of his dagger at his waist. To our right of the fallen horse, six men line up along a low rise that angles to our right and into the distance, where it meets a grove of green trees. At the front of that group, near the lower center of the composition, a rider on a dark horse charges the approaching men. Those men emerge from a line of emerald-green trees and growth at the foot of a steep, rocky hill. These men are more loosely painted so details are difficult to make out, but several are backlit by white smoke, presumably from firing their rifles. The hill above is mottled with warm taupe, light gray, cinnamon-brown, and moss-green growth. Atop the hill and to our left, a walled building complex with thick, square towers faces a row of sheer cliffs that march in from the upper right to enclose the space. Their jagged faces are shadowed with cool tones of slate blue, pewter gray, and touches of rust red. An azure-blue sky, scattered with thin layers of steel-gray and white clouds, spans the top of the composition. Bright sunlight flows in from the upper right, illuminating the fallen horse and the men near it. Sunlight also warms the face of the terracotta building and the hill, as well as the peaks of the mountains on the right. The artist signed and dated the work in black in the lower center: “Eug. Delacroix 1863.”

Arabs Skirmishing in the Mountains, 1863

Eugène Delacroix

West Building, Main Floor — Gallery 81

Delacroix saw North Africa as a simpler, uncorrupted society compared to modern Europe. He believed North African men were braver and more manly, like the warriors of ancient Greece and Rome. Here, he brings his ideal to life using vibrant colors, energetic brushwork, and the dynamic composition of diagonals in the mountain landscape.

The artist had traveled to Morocco in 1832. But this dramatic battle scene, painted more than 30 years later, is pure fantasy. Although Delacroix admired Arab culture, paintings like this helped stereotype it as primitive, unchanging, and violent.

Dive deeper

Eugène Delacroix, France’s leading romantic painter of the first half of the 19th century, advocated the opposite aesthetic of his contemporary, Jean–Auguste–Dominique Ingres. In contrast to Ingres' controlled images that are characterized by his interests in linear purity and a finished surface, Delacroix championed the primacy of color and quick execution as expressive of the artist's imagination.

The Arabs Skirmishing in the Mountains was painted a few months before the artist's death. It harks back to Delacroix’s first and only visit to North Africa in 1832, more than 30 years before this picture was painted, an excursion that made a deep impression on him. The figures and horses are placed on a diagonal that traverses the lower right foreground plane. The action then shifts to the middle ground as a horse and rider charge towards battling Arabs in the center. The background abruptly rises into a craggy landscape, with a fortified castle and a line of mountains blending with the clouds.

The fluidity of Delacroix's brushstroke animates the composition, heightening the violence of the scene and the moment when the rider is thrown off his horse. The brilliant use of red, blue, and white forces the eye to stop at each grouping, accenting the rhythm of the battle itself. Delacroix has created a fictive battle, his work not only recalling an earlier personal experience but also stimulating the imagination of his viewers.

More information on this painting can be found in the Gallery publication French Paintings of the Nineteenth Century, Part I: Before Impressionism, which is available as a free PDF https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/research/publications/pdfs/french-paintings-nineteenth-century.pdf

Object Data

Medium

oil on canvas

Dimensions

overall: 92.5 x 74.5 cm (36 7/16 x 29 5/16 in.)

framed: 121.3 x 103.2 cm (47 3/4 x 40 5/8 in.)

Credit Line

Chester Dale Fund

Accession Number

1966.12.1

Artists / Makers

Eugène Delacroix (artist) French, 1798 - 1863

Image Use

This image is in the public domain.
Read our full Open Access policy for images .

Detail Information

Inscription

lower center: Eug. Delacroix 1863.

Provenance

Sold 12 April 1863 by the artist to (Tedesco Frères, Paris).[1] Edouard André, Paris, by 1878 until at least 1885.[2] A. Smit;[3] sold 4 February 1893 to (Durand-Ruel et Cie, Paris); (Durand-Ruel et Cie, New York), December 1895; sold 6 March 1896 to Matthew Challoner Durfee Borden [1842-1912]; (his estate sale, American Art Association, New York, 14 February 1913, no. 77); (Durand-Ruel et Cie, New York);[4] sold 17 February 1913 to James J. Hill [d. 1916], St. Paul; his son, Louis W. Hill [1872-1948], St. Paul, by 1930;[5] his son, [James] Jerome Hill [1905-1972], New York and Cassis, France, by 1962;[6] purchased 15 December 1966 by NGA.

[1] André Joubin, Correspondance generale d'Eugène Delacroix, 5 vols., Paris, 1936-1938: IV:372.

[2] According to Maurice Sérullaz, Mémorial de l'exposition Eugène Delacroix organisée au Musée du Louvre à l'occasion du centenaire de la mort de l'artiste, Paris, 1963, no. 532, André lent the painting to Delacroix, Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1878, no. 77. The painting is still listed in André's possession in Alfred Robaut, L'oeuvre complet de Eugène Delacroix, Paris, 1885, no. 1448. This is probably the Edouard André whose collection, with that of his wife Nélie Jacquemart, comprises the Paris museum which bears their names.

[3] Smit/Durand-Ruel/Borden provenance according to Maurice Sérullaz, Mémorial de l'exposition Eugène Delacroix organisée au Musée du Louvre à l'occasion du centenaire de la mort de l'artiste, Paris, 1963, no. 532 citing the Durand-Ruel Archives.

[4] According to a letter from Dr. Jane Hancock dated 28 August 1992 in NGA curatorial files, quoting an unpublished inventory of Hill's collection in the James J. Hill Papers, James J. Hill Reference Library, Saint Paul, MN.

[5] According to the exhibition catalogues Centenaire du Romanticisme: Expositions E. Delacroix., Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1930, no. 199a, and Loan Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings, Watercolors, and Prints by Eugène Delacroix, Art Institute of Chicago, 1930, no. 45, the painting was lent by James J. Hill's son, Louis.

[6] Lent by [James] Jerome Hill to the Delacroix, The Art Gallery of Toronto and National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1962, no. 25.

Associated Names

American Art Association
André, Edouard
Avon Foundation
Borden, Matthew Challoner Durfee
Durand-Ruel et Cie
Durand-Ruel et Cie
Hill, James J.
Hill, Jerome
Hill, Louis W.
Smit, A.
Tedesco Frères

Exhibition History

1878: Tableaux anciens et modernes exposés au profit du Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Palais des Tuileries, Pavillon de Flore, Paris, 1878, no. 77, as Combat d'Arabes.

1885: Exposition Eugène Delacroix, Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1885, no. 239B (Supplement)

1930: Centenaire du Romantisme: Exposition E. Delacroix..., Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1930, no. 199a, as Combat de Marocains (perception de l'impôt arabe)

1930: Loan Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings, Watercolors and Prints by Eugène Delacroix, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1930, no. 45, as The Collecting of the Arabian Tax

1933: Courbet and Delacroix, Marie Harriman Gallery, New York, 1933, no. 27, as La Perception de l'Impot Arabe.

1940: Masterpieces of Art. European & American Paintings 1500-1900, New York World's Fair, 1940, no. 249, as Arab Tax Collecting.

1948: Loan Exhibition of Masterpieces by Delacroix and Renoir, Paul Rosenberg & Co., New York, 1948, no. 14, repro., as La Perception de l'impôt arabe

1958: The James J. Hill Collection, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1958, unnumbered checklist

1962: Delacroix, The Art Gallery of Toronto and the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1962-1963, no. 25, repro.

1963: Centenaire d'Eugène Delacroix, Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1963, no. 527, as La Perception de l'impôt arabe

1965: Jerome Hill: Painter, Film Maker, Collector, Saint Paul Art Center, 1965, no. 178, as The Arab Tax

1979: French Romanticism, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1979, unnumbered checklist.

1984: The Orientalists: Delacroix to Matisse, The Allure of North Africa and the Near East, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1984, no. 17, repro., as The Collection of Arab Taxes.

1987: Eugène Delacroix, Kunsthaus, Zurich; Städlische Galerie im Städelschen Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt-am-Main; Villahermosa Palace, Madrid, 1987-1988, no. 127, repro., as Le perquisition de l'impôt arabe ou Combat d'Arabes dans les montagnes

1991: Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863): Paintings, Drawings, and Prints from North American Collections, The Metropolitan Museum, New York, 1991, no. 14, repro.

1998: Delacroix, les dernières années, Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris; Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1998-1999, no. 139, repro.

2003: Eugène Delacroix, Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, 2003-2004, no. 223, repro.

2015: Delacroix and the Rise of Modern Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art; National Gallery, London, 2015-2016, no. 26, repro. (shown only in Minneapolis).

2018: Delacroix (1798–1863), Musée du Louvre, Paris; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2018-2019, no. 174, repro. (shown only in Paris).

Bibliography

1865: Piron, Achille. Eugène Delacroix, sa vie et ses oeuvres. Paris, 1865:111, as Perception de l'impôt arabe.

1885: Robaut, Alfred. L'Oeuvre complet de Eugène Delacroix, peintures, dessins, gravures, lithographies. Paris, 1885: no. 1448, as Perception de l'impôt arabe.

1913: Meier-Graefe, Julius. Delacroix, Beiträge zu einer Analyse. Munich, 1913:250

1916: Moreau-Nélaton, Etienne. Delacroix raconté par lui-même. 2 vols. Paris, 1916:II:207, fig. 430, as Combat de Marocains.

1922: Meier-Graefe, Julius. Delacroix. Munich, 1922:233, repro.

1929: Escholier, Raymond. Delacroix, peintre, graveur, écrivain. 3 vols. Paris, 1926-1929:III:259

1930: Hourticq, Louis. Delacroix, l'oeuvre du mâitre. Paris, 1930:181, repro.

1935: Correspondance générale de Eugène Delacroix. 5 vols. Paris, 1936-1938: IV:372.

1942: Rudrauf, Lucien. Eugène Delacroix et le problem du romantisme artistique. Paris, 1942:142

1958: David, Richard S. "The Collection of James J. Hill." The Minneapolis Institute of Art Bulletin 47, no. 2 (1958):16, 27, repro.

1963: Huyghe, Rene. Delacroix. New York, 1963:416-417, 424, 538, repro. pl. 319.

1963: Maltese, Corrado. Delacroix. Milan, 1963:179, no. 100, repro.

1966: Prideaux, Tom. The World of Delacroix, 1798-1863. New York, 1966:172, 179, repro.

1968: National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 33, repro., as The Arab Tax.

1971: Serullaz, Maurice. Delacroix. New York, 1971:32, 39, 43, repro. fig. 51

1971: Trapp, Frank A. The Attainment of Delacroix. Baltimore, 1971:71

1972: Bartolatto, Luigina R. L'Opera pittorica complete di Delacroix. Milan, 1972:134, no. 805, color repro. pl. LXIV (French edition, Paris, 1975)

1975: European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 102, repro.

1979: Watson, Ross. The National Gallery of Art, Washington. New York, 1979: 106, pl. 92.

1980: Serullaz, Maurice. Delacroix. Milan, 1980:170-171, repro. 199, no. 480

1981: Johnson, Lee. The Paintings of Eugène Delacroix. 6 vols. Oxford, 1981:3:21, 211, n. 419, repro. pl. 227.

1982: Rosenthal, Donald. Orientalism: The Near East in French Painting, 1800-1880. Exh. cat., Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, 1982: 69, repro.

1984: Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 424, no. 606, color repro.

1985: European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 124, repro.

1987: Arama, Maurice. Le Maroc de Delacroix. Paris, 1987:122, repro., 215, n. 61

1987: Eitner, Lorenz. An Outline of Nineteenth Century Painting. 2 vols. New York, 1987:I:195, II:108, repro. fig.186

1992: National Gallery of Art, Washington. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 179, repro.

1997: Jobert, Barthélémy. Delacroix. Princeton, 1997: no. 133, repro.

1997: Mittler, Gene A., and Rosalind Ragans. Understanding Art. New York, 1997: 212, fig. 14-2.

1998: Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition: Romanticism, Realism, and the Nineteenth-Century World. Madison, 1998: no. 29.5, repro.

2000: Eitner, Lorenz. French Paintings of the Nineteenth Century, Part I: Before Impressionism. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 2000: 228-232, color repro.

2004: Hand, John Oliver. National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection. Washington and New York, 2004: 359, no. 295, color repro.