Charles-Edme Saint-Marcel (1819-1890)
Reclining Tiger, c. 1850
Pencil and watercolour and on paper, H. 140 mm; W. 225 mm
Provenance: Private collection, France
Charles-Edme Saint-Marcel-Cabin was a pupil and later an associate of Delacroix, who gave him a taste for painting animals. He exhibited regularly in the Salon, showing animal drawings and landscapes.
His drawings are remarkable for their rapid technique and steady handling with broad lines, frequently heightened with watercolours. Their powerful expression combined with the tigers’ simple dignity can be compared with the works of the sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye. This tiger is typical of his nervous, firm manner which can be compared with the series of drawings at the Musée Bonnat in Bayonne.