1836
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Le Sommeil du lion is a 1836 ink by Louis-Candide Boulanger, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This black-and-white print shows a sleeping lion curled up in the foreground, its head resting on its paws. Above it, a small figure in a hooded cloak stands near a rocky cliff, holding a staff. The background is dark and rough, with swirling brushstrokes that make the scene feel wild and untamed. The title *Le Sommeil du lion* (The Lion’s Sleep) suggests the lion is the main focus, while the cloaked figure might symbolize something watching over it. The rough texture and dramatic lighting are typical of the Romantic style. Check out lithography to see how this print was made.
Louis Candide Boulanger (1806 – 1867) was a French Romantic painter, pastellist, lithographer and a poet, known for his religious and allegorical subjects, portraits, genre scenes.
See the richer artist page
