Arabs Skirmishing in the Mountains

Smit, it was sold on 4 February 1893 to Durand-Ruel et Cie in Paris, which transferred it to its New York branch by December 1895.

Eugène Delacroix completed Arabs Skirmishing in the Mountains in 1863, selling it on 12 April 1863 to Tedesco Frères in Paris. It entered the collection of Édouard André by 1878, remaining there until at least 1885. After passing through A. Smit, it was sold on 4 February 1893 to Durand-Ruel et Cie in Paris, which transferred it to its New York branch by December 1895.

On 6 March 1896 Matthew Challoner Durfee Borden acquired it; following his death it appeared at his estate sale at the American Art Association in New York on 14 February 1913, where Durand-Ruel bought it again and sold it to James J. Hill of St. Paul on 17 February 1913. The painting descended through Hill's son Louis W. Hill and grandson James Jerome Hill before the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., purchased it on 15 December 1966. It was lent to the Musée du Louvre for the 1878 Delacroix exhibition (catalogue no. 77).

The painting entered the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in December 1966, becoming part of the museum's permanent collection and affirming its standing in Delacroix scholarship. Its provenance traces a notable chain of ownership, including Édouard André, the Parisian dealer Durand-Ruel, and the Hill family, reflecting sustained recognition among collectors. The work was displayed in the 1878 centennial Delacroix exhibition at the Louvre and later featured in exhibitions of the artist's late output, underscoring its enduring reputation.

Arabs Skirmishing in the Mountains is an oil on canvas painting by Eugène Delacroix, a prominent figure of French Romanticism. Executed in 1863, this work captures a dynamic and violent encounter set amidst a rugged, mountainous landscape. It exemplifies Delacroix's characteristic focus on intense action and dramatic expression within a genre scene.

The painting depicts a fierce confrontation between mounted figures in a desolate, craggy environment. Riders on rearing horses engage in close combat, wielding swords and firearms. A wounded horse struggles in the lower right, contributing to the scene's chaos.

Above the jagged peaks, a turbulent sky adds to the dramatic tension of the skirmish, which unfolds around a solitary tree.