GUSTAVO SIMONI | A SYCE WITH HIS HORSES

Sale: Sotheby's, New York, February 27, 1982, lot 124, illustrated 

Acquired at the above sale 

Italy had both ancient ties to the East and modern advancements that allowed for easier travel to the exotic locales of modern day North Africa and the Middle East. Many Italian Orientalist painters seized these opportunities to study their subjects firsthand. Between 1877 and 1879, Gustavo Simoni traveled extensively in Tunisia and Algeria. The arid North African landscape, the vibrancy of the colors and costumes, and the rich culture of its people captivated the artist. He sought to record daily life and not scenes of fantasy, nor did he capture only grand spectacles, as many Orientalists did. In the present lot, a syce, or groom, tends to his horses, unaware that he is being observed. A Syce with his Horses is inscribed Tlemcen, the capital city of Algeria, where Simoni had a studio in 1879. By 1882 he was back in Paris with his wife and daughter, but he still made shorter trips to Africa and throughout his career continued to focus on Orientalist subjects.