Wikimedia Commons • Public Domain
The Massacre at Chios
StyleRomanticism
Artwork Details
Cite or Embed This Work
APA · MLA · Chicago1-click academic citation and embeddable “On View” museum badge for articles, syllabi, and research.
French artist Eugène Delacroix painted this harrowing scene in 1824, depicting the aftermath of Ottoman forces slaughtering Greek civilians during the Greek War of Independence. Exhausted captives await their fate while bodies litter the ground. Delacroix's emotional intensity and dramatic color made this painting a manifesto of Romantic art.
The work caused controversy at the 1824 Salon, with critics divided between admiring its power and condemning its supposed technical flaws. Delacroix based the scene on contemporary accounts of the 1822 massacre, when Turkish troops killed thousands on the island of Chios. Now at the Louvre Museum in Paris, this painting established Delacroix as the leader of French Romanticism.
More by Eugène Delacroix
View all →T
The Italian Theatre
Eugène Delacroix
Musée national Eugène Delacroix, Paris, Paris
T
Two Views of an Indian from Calcutta, Seated and Standing
Eugène Delacroix
Private Collection, Unknown
T
The Orphan Girl at the Cemetery
Eugène Delacroix
Louvre, Paris, Paris
A
A Mulatto Woman
Eugène Delacroix
Musée Fabre, Montpellier, Montpellier
Also at Louvre, Paris
View all →Sculpture
A
Artemis of Versailles
Ancient Roman (Unknown), -100
Louvre, Paris, Paris
T
The Concert: Singer and Theorbo Player
Gerard ter Borch
Louvre, Paris, Paris
T
The Combat of Mars and Minerva
Jacques-Louis David
Louvre, Paris, Paris
M
Madonna and Sleeping Child with Three Angels
Bernardino Luini
Louvre, Paris, Paris
Related Works
Works that share an artist, movement, museum, genre, palette or theme with The Massacre at Chios.
- Same artist
- Same movement
Massacre of Chios (Study)
Eugène Delacroix
- Same artist
- Same movement
The Death of Sardanapalus
Eugène Delacroix, 1827
- Same artist
- Same movement
Liberty Leading the People
Eugène Delacroix, 1830
- Same movement
- Same museum
The Raft of the Medusa
Théodore Géricault, 1819
- Same movement
- Same museum
The Wounded Cuirassier
Théodore Géricault
- Same movement
- Same museum
Leda and the Swan
Théodore Géricault
- Same movement
The Third of May 1808
Francisco Goya, 1814
- Same movement
The Gleaners
Jean-François Millet, 1857
- Same movement
Washington Crossing the Delaware
Emanuel Leutze, 1851
- Same movement
The Angelus
Jean-François Millet, 1859
- Same movement
Saturn Devouring His Son
Francisco Goya, 1823
- Same movement
The Ninth Wave
Ivan Aivazovsky, 1850
About The Massacre at Chios
This painting hangs at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The massive canvas demonstrates Delacroix's commitment to grand-scale historical painting addressing contemporary events.
Eugène Delacroix created this work in 1824. A leader of the Romantic movement, he championed emotional expression and dramatic color over classical restraint.
The painting shows the 1822 massacre on the Greek island of Chios, where Ottoman forces killed thousands of civilians during the Greek War of Independence. The atrocity shocked Europe and increased support for Greek independence.
The painting measures an enormous 419 × 354 cm (13.7 × 11.6 feet), making it one of Delacroix's largest works. This monumental scale amplifies the emotional impact and places it in the tradition of grand history painting.
Own Art Like This
Luxury wall art with the same mood and energy. Gallery-quality canvas, no museum crowds.
Browse Collection