It is a work rich in history.
A pastel by Eugène Delacroix dating from his orientalist period and having belonged to the painter Edgar Degas will be auctioned on March 24 at Christie's in Paris.
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Arab on the Lookout
, a painting
measuring
24 by 31 cm, has blue-green tones characteristic of Delacroix and is in a good state of conservation.
The pastel in bright, powdery hues shows an Arab hunter armed with a rifle climbing over rocks to surprise a lion in the mountain.
Following his trip to North Africa in 1832, Delacroix remained very marked by the Orient.
In a correspondence between 1849 and 1854, he mentioned his painting, still under study, writing that he was then working on a series representing "
the Arab on the lookout for the lion
".
The pastel, estimated between 250,000 and 350,000 euros, was rediscovered after having been part of the collection of Edgar Degas, bringing together 230 works by the artist, paintings, drawings and prints combined.
Until now,
Arab on the lookout
was only known through a small black and white photo.
A graphite drawing on the same theme is also kept at the Louvre museum.
Other 19th century works, notably by Eugène Delacroix, will be auctioned on March 24.
Among the most prestigious pieces we find
Draft horse in the stable
of Théodore Géricault (a watercolor and gouache on paper estimated between 150,000 and 250,000 euros) and
Portrait of Romain-Victor Jeuffroy
by Jacques-Louis David.