Eugene Delacroix’s painting, Heliodorus Driven From The Temple, is a depiction of the story found in the Second Book of Maccabees. The painting portrays the prime minister of Syria being cast out from the Temple in Jerusalem when he attempted to steal its treasures. Completed between 1854 and 1861, this masterpiece required significant preparation, as evidenced by Delacroix’s extensive drawing of the horse and rider.
The painting is part of a larger mural cycle found in the Chapel of the Holy Angels within Paris’ Church of Saint-Sulpice. Measuring 751 x 485 cm, it was created with oil and virgin wax on plaster. The artwork is widely recognized as an exemplar of Delacroix’s romanticism style.
Delacroix continued creating smaller easel paintings throughout his career while also working on larger public commissions like this mural cycle. He drew inspiration for this particular work from Titian’s fresco at the Vatican.
In conclusion, through Heliodorus Driven From The Temple painting, Eugene Delacroix uniquely represents one of Christianity’s significant events with great attention to detail garnering its well-deserved reputation as a landmark artwork in art history.
