Jean-Léon Gérôme (French, 1824-1904). A seated Arnaut. Pencil on paper. 14-1/8 x 9 inches (35.9 x 22.9 cm) (sheet). Sign...

Description

Jean-Léon Gérôme (French, 1824-1904)
A seated Arnaut
Pencil on paper
14-1/8 x 9 inches (35.9 x 22.9 cm) (sheet)
Signed center right: JL Gérôme

PROVENANCE:
Private collection, South America;
Private collection, Miami Beach, Florida;
Private collection.

We thank Emily M. Weeks, Ph.D., for contributing to this catalogue entry and confirming the authenticity of this work on the basis of independent research and high-resolution imagery. This drawing will be included in her forthcoming revised Jean-Léon Gérôme catalogue raisonné.

While it has yet to be determined what composition this drawing informed, Jean-Léon Gérôme's interest in Cairo's Arnaut soldiers (descendants of the Albanian soldiers brought to Egypt by the Pasha Muhammad 'Ali) dates to the 1860s, during his second and third visits to the country. There are several single-figure paintings which feature the soldiers' distinctive fustanella (pleated skirt); the men are often posed in moments of relaxation, contradicting their reputation as fearsome mercenaries. The mustachioed figure of the present work resembles one of the artist's favorite models, suggesting it may have been made in Paris. Gérôme collected Arnaut soldiers' costumes, and he may have dressed his model from his own collection. The present work is completed with a characteristically high level of detail and distinct hatching technique. The artist's lowercase script signature (versus the block capitals of his finished paintings) signifies a work gifted to friends and family or considered preparatory.




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