Rudolf Ernst

Nineteenth century travelers, most notably European and American artists visiting North Africa and the Middle East, transformed souvenir shopping into an art form.  The khans, souks, and bazaars of the region allowed easy access to the Arab world; craftspeople were eager to open their shops and stalls to Western trade.  Ernst was a frequent visitor to the region's marketplaces, and collected hundreds of objects, arranging them in his studio, where they became models for those displayed in works like A Hard Bargain.   Additionally, in participating in the economic exchange of the region, the artist observed first-hand the ways in which its people interacted in their daily lives.  As such, in the present work Ernst is able to carefully describe the very intricate interior decorations of ceramics, metalwork, rugs, and furniture interior while accurately portraying the physiognomy, costumes, and culture of these four men engaged in trade. For example, in Islamic decorative arts of the period, repetitive motifs and symmetrical geometric patterns were combined with the arabesque styles, seen here in the vegetal design of the porcelain vase on the high shelf, tiles and carpets.  Ernst precisely details the geometric forms of metalwork, ceramics, furniture, doors, mosaic tiles, all built of circle and square forms, combined with more complex geometrical patterns in innumerable variations, along with the color and textural contrasts of each of the men's costume, skin tone, and posture. Such Orientalist genre scenes were popular among Ernst's patrons, who might not have the ability to visit far-off lands, witness its traditions, and collect its arts and artifacts.  Works such as A Hard Bargain became a way for American and European art buyers to own, in one composition, the myriad special objects and peoples of the region—no matter if certain elements were reconstructed a world away in Ernst' Paris studio.  Indeed, in following the present work's provenance, the Western appeal of these works is immediately evident.  After leaving a London collection, A Hard Bargain belonged to the private collection of E.D. Gooderham, of Gooderham and Worts, a successful whisky distillery in Toronto; it was then obtained by Marshall Field & Company, the venerable department store, also a remarkable twentieth century American source for genre art.