The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Two Boats at the Harbor of Dieppe

Two Boats at the Harbor of Dieppe

1854
(French, 1798–1863)
France, 19th century
watercolor and pencil on paper laid down on board
Image: 22.5 x 34.6 cm (8 7/8 x 13 5/8 in.); Sheet: 22.5 x 34.6 cm (8 7/8 x 13 5/8 in.); Mounted: 24 x 36 cm (9 7/16 x 14 3/16 in.)
Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2021.108
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Eugène Delacroix described making this drawing in his journal, writing on September 1, 1854: “Drew from my window, before dinner, some boats.”

Description

In this late drawing, Eugène Delacroix used spare layers of watercolor to record two large boats floating in a harbor, contrasting the bright tones of the French flags flying on both with the subdued hues of the water surrounding them. The artist recorded the scene during one of five stays in Dieppe, a coastal town that became a popular vacation destination after it was connected to Paris by train in 1848. Delacroix was passionate about depicting the sea and its environs and created numerous variations of this subject over the course of about a decade.
  • 1854-1864
    Studio of the artist [1798-1863]
    1864
    (his posthumous sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, February 22-27, 1864, probably part of no. 600 [“Études faites dans le port de Dieppe et dans les environs: vagues, soleils couchants, etc. (1852, 1854 et 1855)”])
    ?-?
    Marcel Louis Guérin [1873-1948]
    ?-before 1976
    (M. Knoedler & Co., New York, NY)
    1976
    (sale, Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, May 14, 1976, no. 285, sold to Mrs. Muriel Butkin, Shaker Heights, OH)
    1976-2008
    Mrs. Muriel Butkin, Shaker Heights, OH, bequeathed to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2021-
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Catalogue de la vente…Eugène Delacroix. Paris: Hotel Drouot, 1864 Mentioned: p. 70, no. 600 (probably included in this lot of 20 drawings)
    Robaut, Alfred, Ernest Chesneau, and Fernand Calmettes. L'œuvre complet de Eugène Delacroix, peintures, dessins, gravures, lithographies. Paris: Charavay Frères, 1885. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 339, no. 1270 gallica.bnf.fr
    19th Century European Paintings. New York: Sotheby Parke Bernet, 1976 Mentioned and reproduced: no. 285
    Eugène Delacroix: Journal (1822-1857). Paris: José Corti, 2009 Mentioned p. 820, no. 365
  • The Non-Dissenters. Shepherd Gallery, New York (November 1 – December 31, 1976).
  • {{cite web|title=Two Boats at the Harbor of Dieppe|url=false|author=Eugène Delacroix|year=1854|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2021.108