Alexandre-Marie Colin Paris 1798-1873

This picture is a faithful illustration of the fifth canto of Lord Byron's comic epic masterpiece Don Juan.  Originally published between 1818 and 1824 - except for the last fragmentary canto, which was only issued in 1903 - the poem was translated and published in French in 1824.  It immediately appealed to Romantic artists working in France such as Colin, who had already been inspired by authors such as Dante and Shakespeare.  The passage illustrated in the present painting recounts the way in which Don Juan was disguised as a woman by the queen in order to be able to join the seraglio.  In Byron's words:

"In this imperial hall at distance lay
Under a canopy, and there reclined
Quite in a confidential queenly way,
A lady.  Baba stopp'd, and kneeling, sign'd
To Juan, who, though not much used to pray,
Knelt down by instinct, wondering in his mind
What all this meant: while Baba bow'd and bended
His head, until the ceremony ended"

In addition to the captivating intrigue, Colin took evident delight in depicting the pomp and splendor of the Ottoman court, which excited western curiosity and fascination for centuries.  In particular, the still life in the foreground, and the figures' various attires and jewels must have proven tantalizing to the 19th century Parisian audience.