EDWIN LONGSDEN LONG, R.A. | Egyptian Beauty

Christie's, London, 10 July 2008, lot 170, where purchased by Stan Battat

This picture bears a strong resemblance to Esther painted three years later in 1879 (Bonhams, London, 23 March 2004, lot 79) in which a model wears a similar golden necklace. Long visited Cairo in 1875 during an extensive trip to Egypt and Syria which began in 1874. This was a turning point in his career when he began to paint scenes of Babylonian and Egyptian history rather than his earlier Spanish subject. In 1875 he received the commission to paint his magnus opus The Babylonian Marriage Market (Royal Holloway College, Egham).