FREDERICK ARTHUR BRIDGMAN | THE GLANCE

Property of an Educational Foundation (and sold, Sotheby's, New York, May 23, 1997, lot 116A, illustrated) 

Acquired at the above sale

While most of Frederick Arthur Bridgman’s portrait busts of women in exotic dress date from the 1880s, he began to paint the subject in the late 1870s, following the example of his teacher, Jean-Léon Gérôme, who had painted several similar figure studies in 1876. Most of Bridgman’s models are set before a dark background; many wear a sheer veil, typical of Turkish dress of the time, though some, such as the present work, are not veiled, allowing nothing to prevent the viewer from gazing upon their beauty. 

We would like to thank Dr. Ilene Susan Fort, Curator Emerita, American Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, for kindly confirming the authenticity of this lot.