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JEAN-LÉON GÉRÔME | A Sultan at Prayer
估價
200,000 - 300,000 GBP
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招標截止
描述
- Jean-Léon Gérôme
- A Sultan at Prayer
- signed J. L. GEROME lower left
- oil on canvas
- 42 by 33cm., 16.5 by 13in.
來源
Boussod, Valadon et Cie., Paris, 1887 (acquired from the artist)
Henry Graves, Orange, New Jersey, 1887 (acquired from the above. Graves (1868-1953), was a banker, railway baron and art collector. An ardent watch collector, Graves was a patron of Patek Philippe, competing with James Ward Packard, the automobile manufacturer, for ownership of the most complicated watch in the world. In 1927 Packard commissioned a complicated watch but, not to be outdone, Graves surpassed his rival in 1933 to become the owner of the most complicated watch ever made, sold at Sotheby's in 2014; his sale, The American Art Association Anderson Galleries, New York, 25 February 1909, lot 6)
J.F. Fredericks (acquired at the above sale)
Mary Clark Thompson, New York
Sale: Parke Bernet, New York, 8 March 1947, lot 141
W. C. Haunt (acquired at the above sale)
Private collection, New Jersey
Henry Graves, Orange, New Jersey, 1887 (acquired from the above. Graves (1868-1953), was a banker, railway baron and art collector. An ardent watch collector, Graves was a patron of Patek Philippe, competing with James Ward Packard, the automobile manufacturer, for ownership of the most complicated watch in the world. In 1927 Packard commissioned a complicated watch but, not to be outdone, Graves surpassed his rival in 1933 to become the owner of the most complicated watch ever made, sold at Sotheby's in 2014; his sale, The American Art Association Anderson Galleries, New York, 25 February 1909, lot 6)
J.F. Fredericks (acquired at the above sale)
Mary Clark Thompson, New York
Sale: Parke Bernet, New York, 8 March 1947, lot 141
W. C. Haunt (acquired at the above sale)
Private collection, New Jersey
出版
Gerald M. Ackerman, The Life and Work of Jean-Léon Gérôme, with a Catalogue Raisonné, 1986, London, p. 294, no. 508, catalogued (as Prière à la mosquée, listed as lost)
Gerald M. Ackerman, Jean-Léon Gérôme: monographie révisée, catalogue raisonné mis à jour, 2000, p. 364 no. 508, catalogued & illustrated (as Sultan persan en prière; listed as lost)
Gerald M. Ackerman, Jean-Léon Gérôme: monographie révisée, catalogue raisonné mis à jour, 2000, p. 364 no. 508, catalogued & illustrated (as Sultan persan en prière; listed as lost)
Condition
The canvas has not been lined and is attached to what appears to be its original keyed wooden stretcher. There is a pattern of hairline craquelure throughout and some faint stretcher marks - however these are not distracting to the naked eye. Ultra-violet light reveals some scattered retouching, including: - a circa 2cm vertical stroke in the pavement in the lower left quadrant and a circa 3cm horizontal stroke in the lower part of the main figure's tunic. These appear to be addressing some old restoration (not visible on the reverse) and are somewhat visible upon very close inspection; - some finely applied, scattered in-painting in the background. However, this work presents very well and is in good overall condition. Presented in a decorative gilt frame with a nameplate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
拍品資料及來源
Painted in 1887. A respectful and moving observation of a man of high rank worshipping God, this recently rediscovered work stands out not just by virtue of its exceptional detail and palette, but on account of the frontal view, rare in the artist's work in which worshippers are predominantly seen from behind or in profile.
Gérôme's fascination with Muslim prayer began from the moment he set foot in Constantinople in 1852, and Egypt in 1856, and would become a central tenet in his oeuvre. A visit to the Mosque of Qaytbay in Cairo followed in 1868, and in Constantinople in 1875, a guest of the Sultan's painter, Abdullah Siriez, he visited no fewer than fifteen mosques, the New and Blue Mosques leaving an especially deep impression.
Here, a single figure stands silhouetted against a darkened yet architecturally distinctive backdrop, his silken robes crafted from the most vibrant confectionary of colours and his fur gown rendered in photographic detail. He raises his hands in submission to God, palms facing outward, as if to recite 'Allah-o-Akbar' ('God is Great'), in the pose of takhbir. His only company is a seated man, possibly a dervish, also in prayer, and an attendant drinking from an urn.
Gérôme reprises the bearded, fur-clad figure in a larger oil in the Najd collection (fig. 1). The colour palette of blue and turquoise may also well have been an inspiration to the Ottoman Orientalist painter Osman Hamdy Bey, who met Gérôme in Paris in the 1860s while studying in the studio of Gustave Boulanger, and was the first Turkish painter to adopt the French academic style of painting.
Gérôme's fascination with Muslim prayer began from the moment he set foot in Constantinople in 1852, and Egypt in 1856, and would become a central tenet in his oeuvre. A visit to the Mosque of Qaytbay in Cairo followed in 1868, and in Constantinople in 1875, a guest of the Sultan's painter, Abdullah Siriez, he visited no fewer than fifteen mosques, the New and Blue Mosques leaving an especially deep impression.
Here, a single figure stands silhouetted against a darkened yet architecturally distinctive backdrop, his silken robes crafted from the most vibrant confectionary of colours and his fur gown rendered in photographic detail. He raises his hands in submission to God, palms facing outward, as if to recite 'Allah-o-Akbar' ('God is Great'), in the pose of takhbir. His only company is a seated man, possibly a dervish, also in prayer, and an attendant drinking from an urn.
Gérôme reprises the bearded, fur-clad figure in a larger oil in the Najd collection (fig. 1). The colour palette of blue and turquoise may also well have been an inspiration to the Ottoman Orientalist painter Osman Hamdy Bey, who met Gérôme in Paris in the 1860s while studying in the studio of Gustave Boulanger, and was the first Turkish painter to adopt the French academic style of painting.