Portrait du sultan du Maroc

Delacroix’s Portrait du sultan du Maroc is dated 1862 and first appears in the records of the Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection in Zürich, where it remains today. The painting entered the collection as part of Emil Georg Bührle’s holdings, which were later donated to the Kunsthaus Zürich and administered by the Foundation E.G. Bührle. No documented commission or preparatory material has been traced; its creation coincides with Delacroix’s late period, when he continued to revisit North African subjects drawn from his 1832 journey.

The painting Portrait du sultan du Maroc by Eugène Delacroix is held by the Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection at the Kunsthaus Zürich in Switzerland. The work, created in 1862, is part of the permanent collection owned by this foundation. While the specific inventory or accession number is not provided in the available records, the artwork is cataloged as an oil painting on canvas and panel within the institution's holdings. No exhibition history is documented in the provided sources.

The work is recognized as a significant example of Orientalist painting, reflecting 19th-century European artistic engagements with North African subjects. It is housed in the Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection at the Kunsthaus Zürich, where it remains part of the permanent display of 19th-century European art. Scholars have examined its role within Delacroix's broader oeuvre, particularly how it extends his interest in equestrian subjects and exoticized representations of the Islamic world.

The painting's composition and execution exemplify the technical mastery characteristic of his later career, while its provenance and exhibition history underscore its importance in the study of European Orientalism.

The painting’s reputation as a hallmark of Orientalist equestrian portraiture has shaped scholarly assessments of Delacroix’s late output, linking it to the broader 19th‑century fascination with North African subjects. Its presence in the Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection at Kunsthaus Zürich has made it a frequently cited example in studies of how European artists rendered Moroccan royalty, reinforcing the work’s legacy as a reference point for discussions of cultural representation and the market valuation of Orientalist art.

Eugène Delacroix executed this oil painting in 1862, portraying a Moroccan sultan on horseback. The composition centers the rider in vivid yellow robes and a red headdress, set against a cloudy sky and a crumbling stone wall. The work is part of the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich.