Study for “The Entombment of Atala”

This vivacious drawing is a preparatory study for one of Girodet's most celebrated paintings. It is based on Chateaubriand's romantic novel, Atala, ou Les amours de deux sauvages dans le désert, the story of an ill-fated love, set in New France in the 17th century. Emerging from the scribble of exploratory lines, Atala is seen on her deathbed in the grotto of the missionary Father Aubry, while her lover Chactas, identifiable by his feathers and quiver, falls to his knees beside her.