The Queen of the Brigands

Frederick Arthur Bridgman, one of Jean-Léon Gérôme's best known students, painted the present painting around the time when the master's influence on him was the greatest. Compositionally, and in terms of academic and detailed execution, the present work clearly shows the influence of Gérôme. In fact, The Queen of the Brigands and another contemporary piece entitled A Challenging Moment (fig. 1) also by Bridgman can be compared closely with Gérôme's painting entitled Almées jouant aux échecs, 1870 (Najd Collection). In all three paintings the figures are drawn with immaculate attention to human anatomy and realistic detail, the paintings' coloring is realistic and the use of chiaroscuro is firmly grounded in the academic tradition. Bridgman's interest in the subject matter of the Arnaut, by far one of Gérôme's favorites, can also be interpreted as a tribute to the great master's work.

This work has been authenticated by Ilene Susan Fort and will be included in her forthcoming Bridgman catalogue raisonné.


(fig. 1) Frederick Arthur Bridgman, A Challenging Moment, oil on canvas, Private Collection.