Ferdinand Victor Léon Roybet

Adolph Edward Borie, Philadelphia (by circa 1880)
Private Collection, New York (and sold, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, February 16-17, 1962, lot 293)

Edward Strahan, ed. The Art Treasures of America, Philadelphia, [1879-1882], facsimile edition, 1977, vol. II, p. 23, illustrated

Oil on panel. The surface presents well and the colors appear bright and fresh. Minor frame abrasion visible along the top edge. There is a thin, horizontal break that extends across the length of the work. Under UV: finely applied dashes of inpainting scattered along the break in the panel. There are a few finely applied reinforcements in the patterned carpet.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In the present work, an odalisque draped in jewels reclines in a lavish harem setting, flanked by her servants who tempt her with pearls and silk robes and entertain her with a tambourine. The Favorite of the Harem was once in the notable art collection of Adolph Edward Borie of Philadelphia, who was the Secretary of the Navy under President Ulysses S. Grant. In his The Art Treasures of America, Edward Strahan evocatively describes the central figure as in a state of "ennui and brooding" as she "dreams on, beautiful and contemptuous, as if all her thoughts were due to some distant [...] lover sighing for her in snowy mountains" (Strahan, p. 23).