Eugène Fromentin

Probably, Estate of the artist (Sale: Drouot, 30 January 1877, lot 17)
Probably, Mr Desprez, Paris
J. C. Paz, Argentine Ambassador to Paris (circa 1885); thence by descent in his family
Acquired by the Círculo Militar de Buenos Aires in 1938
Sale: Christie's, Paris, 9 November 2010, lot 26
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Probably, Paris, Ecole nationale des Beaux-Arts, Exposition des œuvres d'Eugène Fromentin, 1877, no. 68

James Thompson, Barbara Wright, La vie et l'œuvre d'Eugène Fromentin, Paris, 2008, p. 268, discussed

The canvas has been lined. Ultra-violet light reveals uneven areas of fluorescence apparently due to traces of old residual varnish, making the surface difficult to read under U.V. light, however there are scattered signs of retouching overall, notably a band along the lower edge, an area in the sky to the upper centre, clusters along the cliffs to the left and around the rear left leg of the horse to the lower right. However, apart from a few light abrasions, the general appearance of the work under normal light is good and the work is ready to hang. Presented in a decorative gilt frame. The green and yellow hues are somewhat deeper in the original than in the catalogue illustration.
"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."

This monumental and bravado scene, bursting with energy and movement, is an homage to Fromentin's master, Eugène Delacroix (lot 23), for whose emotional, at times violent North African scenes of combat held an enduring fascination (fig. 1). Fromentin made his first brief visit to Algeria in 1846, returing for a period of eight months a year later, travelling to Constantine, the Atlas Mountains and Biskra on the edge of the Sahara. He found that the unique light of the verdant and cloudy Sahel was not blinding as imagined by many Europeans, but rather, subtle and grey; and that the shade was transparent and coloured, not obscure and black. These light qualities are masterfully, and uniquely, captured in Fromentin's canvases. In 1856, his important discoveries, together with his travel notes, were published in book form under the tile Un été dans le Sahara, followed, two years later, by Une année dans le Sahel. As for his choice of subjects, of tribal and nomadic life, not only did they lend themselves to interpretation by his Romantic spirit; the excitement and adventure they express are perhaps in some way an antidote to Fromentin's quiet and monotonous bourgeois upbringing in La Rochelle by authoritative and religiously pious parents.