c. 1820-1823 or c. 1849

Allegorical Figure of Envy

French, 1798 - 1863

Although it has not been definitively established exactly what this male winged figure represents, it seems to have developed from an academic study made from the live model—note the prop under the left hand—into some sort of symbol or allegory, perhaps depicting the "man of genius at the portals of the tomb," a subject mentioned by Delacroix in his Journal in May 1823.