Etienne Dinet

Sale: Drouot, Gros et Delettrez, Paris, 13 December 2004, lot 119
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Afrique du Nord illustrée, 1908, illustrated
Terre d'Algérie, December 1919, p. 1, illustrated (titled Fillettes indigènes)
Denise Brahimi & Koudir Benchikou, La Vie et l'œuvre de Etienne Dinet, Paris, 1984, p. 204, no. 191, catalogued & illustrated

The canvas has not been lined. Apart from some scattered very minor scuffs to the paint surface, this work is in excellent original condition.
"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 this work of circa 1908, Dinet captures a tender and intimate moment between two young girls, possibly sisters, dressing one another in colourful dyed robes in readiness for a local festival or celebration. Their hands and feet are coloured with henna dye, and the girl on the left has adorned her face and hands with painted tattoos.  On the girl's forehead can be seen what could either be a burnous, a coat made of animal skins worn by soldiers (a symbol representing power and strength); or the lower half of a palm tree, symbolising fertility. On her chin a cinsla (a chain pattern that is also often found in Algerian weaving), is clearly visible, and on the back of her hand are what are probably thabanat (painted flies). Applied here as make-up and to enhance beauty, traditionally such tattoos were worn by Berber women to ward off the evil eye, to increase fertility or improve health, or to indicate that a girl had reached marriageable age.

Dinet took great interest in painting the women of Algeria in their traditional costumes, dancing, or performing their daily rituals, and particularly the girls of the Ouled Naïl tribe. His fascination with Algeria dated from his first visit in 1883. This proved to be a turning point in his career: he returned virtually every summer thereafter, visiting the capital and oasis towns of Bou Saâda, Biskra and Laghouat. In 1904 the artist had acquired a house in Bou Saâda, the closest of the oasis towns to Algiers some 150 miles south-east of the capital, choosing to settle there permanently. In his commitment to the places and people of Algeria, Dinet immersed himself in the life of Islamic north Africa: he spoke Arabic fluently, and in 1913 he converted to Islam, and changed his name to Nasreddin ('Defender of the Faith'). In 1929 Dinet went on the Hajj with his friend Slimane Ben Ibrahim.