Eugène DelacroixFrench, 1798–1863Young Tiger Playing with Its Mother
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Young Tiger Playing with Its Mother” now? Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Chicago, 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
Delacroix based this lithograph on a painting he exhibited at the 1831 Paris Salon to great acclaim, with one critic writing, “Never has this singular artist painted a man that resembles a man, the way his tiger resembles a tiger.” Like the nearby engraving after Rubens’s Lion Hunt (2010.48), this canvas became more widely known through the circulation of a printed reproduction. Delacroix produced this lithograph for the nascent arts and literature periodical L’Artiste, specifically in honor of its supportive director, Achille Ricourt.
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Details
- Accession number
- 1922.4476
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — CC0
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
Beginning of the Friendship with Marie-Élisabeth Blavot-Boulanger
In 1833 Delacroix formed a friendship with the painter Marie-Élisabeth Blavot-Boulanger that lasted the rest of his life.
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.
