Jean-Léon Gérôme

Lasslow (sale: Parke-Bernet, New York, February 17, 1944, lot 12)
Henry Jordan (acquired at the above sale)
Acquired in Chicago after 1945

Oeuvres de J.L. Gérôme, Bibliothèque National, Paris, XVI, 5
Gerald M. Ackerman, The Life and Work of Jean-Léon Gérôme, London, 1986, p. 294, no. 511, p. 295, illustrated
Gerald M. Ackerman, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Monographie révisée, Catalogue raisonné mis à jour, Paris, 2000, p. 366, no. 511, p. 367, illustrated

The following condition report has been prepared by Hamish Dewar Ltd., 13 and 14 Mason's Yard, St James', London, SW1Y 6BU: UNCONDITIONAL AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE Structural Condition The canvas is lined and is securely attached to a keyed wooden stretcher. This is ensuring an even and stable structural support. Paint surface The paint surface has an even varnish layer. There are a number of small areas of fine lines of craquelure. These are entirely stable. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows scattered retouchings. The most significant of which are: 1) areas of retouching within the dark red/brown pigments of the wall in the far right of the composition, 2) intermittent retouchings within the architecture below the upper edge including partial reconstruction of the beams below the left part of the upper edge, 3) several retouchings within the decorative floor in the lower right corner of the composition, and 4) small spots and lines of retouching within the curved tiled wall below the blue arch in the left part of the composition and other small scattered spots and lines of retouching including within the columns and a few small spots within the figures. Summary The painting would therefore appear to be in good and stable condition having undergone restoration work.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Gérôme was a frequent visitor to Cairo, first visiting the Mosque of Qaytbay in 1868. Scenes like the present are expressions at once of his admiration for Muslim piety and his fascination with Islamic architecture. Throughout his oeuvre one senses a deep respect for the simplicity and directness of Muslim prayer, and as a strongly anti-clerical Frenchman himself, Gérôme no doubt admired such unencumbered, clergy-free worship. Here, a group of men are absorbed in prayerful contemplation, facing the mosque's mihrab indicating the direction of Mecca.