Beschreibung:

Jean-Léon Gérôme (French, 1824-1904) Evening Prayer, or Prayer in the East Signed "J.L. GEROME" c.l. along the edge of the wall of the roof, identified on a presentation plaque and on an encapsulated exhibition label from the Union League of Philadelphia (see below) affixed to the back of the frame, "BVC -19240-" inscribed in black ink across the center horizontal bar, and with a gummed label with the typed number "H-513" also on the back of the panel. Oil on cradled mahogany panel, 19 1/2 x 31 7/8 in. (49.5 x 81.0 cm), framed. Condition: Minor dots of retouch to sky, retouch to edges to cover frame abrasion, a treatment report from the Art Conservation Department, Buffalo State College, accompanies the lot. Provenance: Sam Mendel (1814-1884), Manchester, UK, from at least 1 July 1870 until 22 September 1873 (known as Prayer at Cairo); Agnew's, London, from 22 September 1873 until 29 October 1873 (sold as Prayer at Cairo); to Henry William Ferdinand Bolckow (1806-1878), Middlesbrough, UK, in October, 1873 (known as Prayer in the East); by descent to Mrs. Henry William Ferdinand Bolckow in 1878; to Christie, Manson and Woods, London, Modern Pictures, May 5, 1888, as Lot 18 (sold as Prayer in the East); purchased from above by Goupil; to Boussod, Valadon & Cie. ("BVC - 19240") (sold as Prayer in the East); purchased from Boussod, Valadon & Cie. in New York by William P. Henszey (1832-1909), Wynnewood, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, on September 28, 1889 (known as Evening Prayer); through to M.M. Pochapin, President, Art Movement, Inc., New York (as Evening Prayer); purchased by W.G. Dickenson, Lockport, New York, March 16, 1945, from the National Hall of Art, Art Movement, Inc. (as Evening Prayer); then by descent. Exhibitions: Royal Mining, Engineering, and Industrial Exhibition (International and Colonial), Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom, 1887 (no. 905, as Prayer in the East), lent by Henry William Ferdinand Bolckow; Union League of Philadelphia, Loan Exhibition of Paintings by Eminent Artists Belonging to a few Citizens of Philadelphia, May 11-27, 1893 (no. 58, as Evening Prayer), lent by William P. Henszey; Union League of Philadelphia, Art Loan Exhibition, May 11-27, 1899 (no. 67, as Evening Prayer), lent by William P. Henszey. N.B. A letter of authentication from Emily M. Weeks, Ph.D. will accompany the work. The painting will also be included in Dr. Weeks's revision of the artist's catalogue raisonné. We would like to thank Dr. Weeks for preparing the catalog note that follows immediately below. In the 1860s, Gérôme began a series of pictures depicting Muslim men at prayer. These would become a signature theme of the artist's, and among his most popular Orientalist works. The present painting, Evening Prayer, holds a special place within this important group. A "perfected" version of one of Gérôme's most evocative compositions, with all of the technical hallmarks and intellectual nuances of his art, it has recently been confirmed as an original work by his hand, and returned to the artist's oeuvre. (1) Gérôme's path to Orientalism began in 1856, when he traveled to Egypt for the first time. (Earlier in his career, he had made his name with light-hearted Néo-Grec genre scenes and archaeologically exacting images of the classical past.) In Cairo, he accumulated a virtual library of souvenirs, costumes, and local crafts, as well as photographs, sketches, and drawings, which served as inspiration for his studio works. Subsequent trips to the region made during the 1860s and 1870s expanded his repertoire of subjects, confirming his talents as an ethnographer and his reputation as a privileged witness to all aspects of Middle Eastern life. In the present work, Gérôme depicts the daily maghrib, or evening prayer, performed on the housetops of Cairo. (2) In the background, the distinctive skyline of the city is visible, with the Mosque of Muhammad Ali and the Madrasa of Sultan Hasan helping to identify the geography of the