The joy of Delacroix

He says noted artists revived the tradition in the 20th century. His donations include rich examples, such as etchings by Picasso based on Histoire Naturelle, a work by the 18th-century French naturalist Comte de Buffon, and prints by Henri Matisse to illustrate the works of the 19th-century French poet Stephane Mallarme.

Delacroix was among several members of the French romantic generation, Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas included, who saw a production of Hamlet in Paris by a visiting British theater company in 1827.

Delacroix later produced Hamlet prints to depict the stage performance and text.

"I went over various artists who had created artworks inspired by Shakespeare and concluded that Delacroix was far and away the artist who best understood Shakespeare," Stone says.

Delacroix is known for presenting scenes of grand historic narratives, while his depictions of animals, such as tigers, lions and leopards, were a relatively private interest out of the public spotlight but no less enthralling.

His shrewd observations of different animals throughout his career allowed him to accurately portray their motions.