| A Merchant in Cairo |
Artist:Jean Lecomte du Nouÿ (French, Paris 1842–1923 Paris)
Date:1870
Medium:Oil on wood
Dimensions:11 3/4 × 8 3/4 in. (29.8 × 22.2 cm)
Classification:Paintings
Credit Line:Gift of Kenneth Jay Lane, 2015
Accession Number:2015.506.2
This subject was inspired by Lecomte du Nouÿ’s travels to Egypt, which he first visited in 1865 on the recommendation of his teacher, Jean-Léon Gérôme. The artist’s careful attention to ethnographic detail, which reflects his academic training, stands in contrast to the merchant’s detachment from his surroundings.
Catalogue Entry
A single male figure in Arab dress, perhaps of Nubian origin, sits on a carpet and leans on a second, rolled carpet that is propped against the outer wall of a building on a paved Cairo street. He holds a long, smoking pipe in his right hand and looks away, apparently lost in thought. Arrayed beside him on the steps of a doorway are his wares, including, in addition to vessels of glazed and unglazed pottery, a brass pitcher, a dagger with its sheath, and a water pipe. In the foreground an assortment of pipe bowls are laid out on a woven plate. This subject was inspired by the artist’s travels to Egypt, which he first visited in 1865 on the recommendation of his teacher, Jean-Léon Gérôme. Careful attention to ethnographic detail reflects Lecomte du Nouÿ’s academic training and stands in contrast to the merchant’s detachment from his surroundings. Lecomte du Nouÿ was Gérôme’s favorite pupil; he also collaborated with their colleague Charles Bargue, who was also drawn to Orientalist subjects.
Documentation in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, indicates that the painting was executed in 1870 and that its title was assigned by the artist himself (see Diederen 2004). Its early history is unknown, but given its modest dimensions, subject, and high degree of finish it was probably intended for the burgeoning market in such subjects, which was driven by private collectors both in France and abroad.
Asher Ethan Miller 2015
Copyright Image
https://images.metmuseum.org
Comments
Post a Comment