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Lot Essay
Ernst's extremely original and eclectic approach to the the depiction of Eastern settings is perfectly displayed in the present painting. The Moorish Guard, The Alhambra is, in fact, a very accomplished example of Ernst's pictorial 'contaminatio'. In virtue of his subtle sensibibility to detail, the painter is capable of harmoniously mixing styles and iconographies from both East and West, and especially from the different countries of the Mediterranean basin.
The Moorish Guard, sumptuously dressed in his imperial attire, is depicted in a luxurious interior, recalling the splendours of the Alhambra's courts and gardens. Paying homage to the eccentric styles of Moorish Spain, Ernst recreates the interior splendours of the Andalusian palace; the figure stands close to an impressive 'Alhambra vase' and is cast against a wall of gilded stucco which opens onto an arcade supported by slim pillars and traditional horse-shoe arches. Yet, typically, Ernst adds some details betraying a wider fresco, and implying a broader adoption of Orientalist icons. The man is holding a rich Yataghan - a precious Turkish sword -, and the lower parts of the walls are covered with Ernst's favourite blue and turquoise Iznik tiles. Clearly, the artist's brushstroke bows to his aesthetic concerns more than to architectural and geographical codes, and Ernst is more attracted to the depicition of the chromatic contrast between the gold decorations and the stunning maiolicas, than subdued to the scruples of philological precision.
The Moorish Guard, sumptuously dressed in his imperial attire, is depicted in a luxurious interior, recalling the splendours of the Alhambra's courts and gardens. Paying homage to the eccentric styles of Moorish Spain, Ernst recreates the interior splendours of the Andalusian palace; the figure stands close to an impressive 'Alhambra vase' and is cast against a wall of gilded stucco which opens onto an arcade supported by slim pillars and traditional horse-shoe arches. Yet, typically, Ernst adds some details betraying a wider fresco, and implying a broader adoption of Orientalist icons. The man is holding a rich Yataghan - a precious Turkish sword -, and the lower parts of the walls are covered with Ernst's favourite blue and turquoise Iznik tiles. Clearly, the artist's brushstroke bows to his aesthetic concerns more than to architectural and geographical codes, and Ernst is more attracted to the depicition of the chromatic contrast between the gold decorations and the stunning maiolicas, than subdued to the scruples of philological precision.