New York Orientalist Sale Oct 23
Published October 5th, 2008
For the second consecutive season at Sotheby’s New York, the offering of 19th Century European Art will feature The Orientalist Sale, an outstanding highlight of which is Le Barde Noir by Jean-Léon Gérôme (lot 168, est. $700,000/1 million), depicting a seated figure of a nubian musician against a blue-and-white tiled wall. Of the five paintings exhibited by Gérôme at the Royal Academy in London in 1888, Le Barde Noir is one of only two works not in a prominent museum collection. This work appeals to all connoisseurs of art due to its masterful handling of light and color. Gérôme’s ability as a painter manifested itself through Orientalist art but his works transcend the genre as timeless masterpieces.
The offering of Orientalist paintings also includes Leopold Carl Müller’s An Almée’s Admirers (lot 184, est. $800,000/1.2 million) from 1882. In this Egyptian scene, Müller strikes a balance between compelling individual portraiture and a cohesive composition. The dramatic light which is the hallmark of the artist’s work serves to connect rather than isolate each expressive countenance intently observing the ghaziya dancing in the center.
Rudolf Ernst’s The Venerated Elder (est. $600/800,000) is a sensitive portrayal of an elderly Arab cleric, at the side of his Nubian aide. Ready for Friday prayer – or perhaps already having completed it – the two men walk slowly through the mosque, a truly noble pair. Other highlights include Giulio Rosati’s The Dance (est. $400/600,000) and Jean Joseph Benjamin Constant’s Twilight Hours (est. $300/400,000), one of the artist’s imaginary scenes of North Africa, combining authentic details with clever fictions as he depicts a private scene on a rooftop balcony.
