The Duke of Orléans showing his Lover  1826

The scene is set in a dark interior in which Delacroix locates the three principal figures. Seated at the end of the bed, which is shielded by heavy curtains, the Duke of Orléans lifts up the sheet to show his illustrious visitor the body of his lover from waist downwards. Delacroix involves the viewer in the deception of the husband as he depicts the woman’s face in the h...