When Paul Gauguin painted Still Life with a Sketch after Delacroix in 1887, he was living in Martinique, far from the Parisian art world, and wrestling with his own artistic direction. What makes this work remarkable is that it directly references Eugène Delacroix, the Romantic master whom Gauguin admired for his bold color and expressive freedom. By including a sketch after Delacroix within his own still life, Gauguin openly declared his allegiance to the lineage of French painting, even as he sought to break new ground.

This act of homage is rare in Gauguin's oeuvre—he seldom quoted other artists so explicitly. On the table, familiar objects—fruit, a jug, perhaps a folded cloth—are arranged with deliberate care, but the eye is drawn to the inserted sketch, propped up among the everyday items. The sketch itself, rendered in a different hand, stands as a window into another artist's world, suggesting a dialogue across time. The contrast between the tactile immediacy of the fruit and the ghostly presence of Delacroix's drawing invites viewers to consider the relationship between reality and representation.

Unlike Cézanne's still lifes, which often dissolve objects into pure form, Gauguin's composition insists on the persistence of memory and influence. The precise journey of this painting is not fully documented, and its medium remains uncertain, though it is likely oil on canvas, as was typical for Gauguin at the time. Created during a pivotal period when Gauguin was experimenting with color and form in the Caribbean, Still Life with a Sketch after Delacroix stands at the crossroads of tradition and innovation. Today, the work is recognized as a key example of Gauguin's early attempts to reconcile his reverence for the past with his drive toward a new pictorial language, foreshadowing the radical experiments that would define his later years in Tahiti.

Its current location is not widely known, adding an air of mystery to a painting already rich with artistic conversation.