Set in the Ptolemaic period of Ancient Egypt, Gérôme depicts two sword dancers performing a Pyrrhic dance. The best-known war dance of the Greeks, it was probably of Dorian origin. According to Greek legend, it was Achilles who first performed this dance next to the funeral pyre of his dead friend, Patroclus. It was also introduced into the Roman Games by Julius Caesar and spread across parts of the Roman Empire.
Gérôme, who returned to Egypt throughout the 1870s as journey times improved, became familiar with the reliefs of the Ancient Egyptians. As ever, Gérôme has mixed his academic realism with some artistic license. For instance, while retaining the face of the Goddess Hathor above the capitals on the left of the Second Pylon of the Temple of Isis at Philae Island, he has slightly altered the hieroglyphic design to the left of the entrance, possibly copying designs he had encountered elsewhere in Egypt or in the museums of Europe.
Much like his spectacular tour de force Ave Caesar, Morituri Te Salutant, 1859, Gérôme brilliantly captures the light of the Egyptian sun shining against backdrop of the ancient temple, with the coloured fabrics of spectators still vivid amongst the darkened foreground. There, as in here, Gérôme’s love of antiquity and ancient artefacts shines through. After choosing a subject and as work progressed, Gérôme went to great lengths to research the décor and accessories that were so central to the composition.
