Alberto Pasini

Stendhal Galleries, Los Angeles

Original canvas. Apart from scattered retouchings, mainly in flecks to the sky, and some slight overcleaning to the sky, this work is in good condition and ready to hang. Held in a decorative, bronze-painted moulded plaster and wood frame.
"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."

From his first visit to Persia in 1855, as part of the French diplomatic expedition of Prosper Bourée to the Persian Gulf and Teheran, Pasini specialised in views of remote corners of Turkey and Persia. He later travelled to Egypt, Constantinople, Asia Minor and Syria, and the subject of oriental riders featured prominently in his work until the mid-1880s. In his orientalist compositions, Pasini either painted from memory or elaborated on sketches that he had executed on site during his travels, incorporating a diversity of 'exotic' elements in these works.

Pasini's choice of ornamental details and ethnic costumes was often unconcerned with geographical accuracy.  However, whether topographically precise or not, Pasini's study of figures, landscapes and the architecture that captured his imagination was always meticulous.

By the 1880s, Pasini was enjoying international acclaim as an orientalist painter. In discussing his works at the 1878 Exposition Universelle, the critics, though conceding the artist's Italian origin, associated him with the French school, Charles Blanc describing him as 'the Italian Fromentin'. His training in the studio of Théodore Chassériau and the subsequent close contacts with other French orientalist painters including Gérôme, led many French artists and critics to count him as one of their own.