Eugène DelacroixFrench, 1798–1863Un homme d'armes
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Not on view at present
Where is “Un homme d'armes” now? Collection: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Minneapolis, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
Eugène Delacroix was a leading exponent of Romantic art in France. Inspired by earlier painters, such as Titian and Rubens, and by modern authors, such as Lord Byron and Sir Walter Scott, he cast his net widely for tales of adventure, mystery, and exoticism. Many of his paintings were large-scale murals, and he was know for his vibrant use of color. Thus, it may come as a surprise that he chose to make this quiet, small scale etching with no apparent specific literary source. But Delacroix was a tireless draftsman who liked to record, interpret, and invent while working on paper. Small etchings such as this allowed his to give his public a sense of leafing through his sketchbooks. This one, imagining a man from three or four hundred years earlier, was produced in 1830, when the historicizing Troubadour Style was at its height.
Read on
Delacroix shows his with a plumed beret, armor (a cuirass around his upper body and vambraces on his forearms), and a sword in his left hand. Is this a contemplative moment before the onset of battle? We don't know, but for now he seems safely situated amid luxuries, such as a richly embroidered tablecloth.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Details
- Accession number
- 2021.69.8
In the catalog
Sources
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Image: Minneapolis Institute of Art — public domain
In the life of Eugène Delacroix
The whole life1831
"Liberty" at the Salon of 1831
Liberty Leading the People was enthusiastically received by the public at the Salon of 1831 and immediately acquired by the state for 3,000 francs for the throne room of the Luxembourg Palace.
14 March 1831 · Award
Knight of the Legion of Honour
1832
Journey to Spain and North Africa
As part of the diplomatic mission of Charles-Edgar de Mornay, Delacroix traveled to Morocco shortly after the French conquest of Algeria. The journey proved a turning point: he made dozens of sketches, and his impressions of North Africa nourished his art for the rest of his life.
1832
"Liberty" Removed from Public Display
By 1832 officials had deemed the painting's glorification of liberty too provocative and removed it from public display; nevertheless Delacroix continued to receive state commissions.
1833–1837
Decoration of the Salon du Roi in the Palais Bourbon
From 1833 Delacroix received numerous commissions to decorate the public buildings of Paris; the first was his work on the Salon du Roi in the Chamber of Deputies at the Palais Bourbon, completed in 1837.
1835
Serious Throat Illness Discovered
In 1835 Delacroix was found to have a serious throat ailment which, alternately subsiding and flaring up, eventually brought him to his grave.
