The Bride of Abydos

Delacroix's The Bride of Abydos of 1846 depicts the tragic love story from Byron's 1813 poem, in which the Turkish Zuleika — in Byron's version, mistakenly believed to be her lover Selim's sister — is torn between family loyalty and passionate attachment in an Ottoman setting. The poem's oriental subject, family conflict, and doomed love provided Delacroix with characteristic material combining picturesque Orientalist setting with intense emotional drama. Byron's Eastern Tales had been foundational texts for Romantic painters, and Delacroix returned repeatedly to Byronic subjects throughout his career.

Delacroix's rich, Orientalist palette of deep reds, blues, and golds creates a luxuriously atmospheric setting for the Byronic narrative. The expressive brushwork and the sensuous handling of color demonstrate his mastery of Romantic painting at its most passionate.