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Lot Essay
This superb painting dates from the late 1880s, the height of Weeks' Indian oeuvre. It depicts a Persian horse merchant whose groom is displaying a chestnut mare for the consideration of two Indian princely figures, whom Weeks termed 'Mahratta noblemen' and whose costumes he greatly admired. Other grooms are seen in casual groups beyond, handling and washing other horses. The principal backdrop is a large, whitewashed house, the residence of a wealthy merchant. The eye is drawn deep into the scene, past women carrying jugs of water, culminating with the faade of an Indian temple.
Although clearly a studio work, the painting reveals its origins in the light, colour and immediacy of Weeks' in situ expedition studies. As is so characteristic of Weeks' work, the entire scene is precisely composed, yet entirely casual and informal in nature. The architectural space of the painting is carefully constructed, while, at the same time, the table along the left edge of the view, the house's tower, and other elements are 'nonchalantly' allowed to run off the edge of the canvas, suggesting a broader space beyond the frame. Suggested, too, is the hot sun of India, in the highlights on the faces of the figures, the mare's coat, the glare of the whitewashed walls, and, by contrast, in the cool shadows of the temple porch and the tree-shaded court of the merchant's house.
The viewer is presented with a slice of everyday life, which equally serves as the formal pretext for a display of the artist's draftmanship and naturalistic handling of colour and surface, as can be seen in the representation of the central horse, and the extraordinaly silk costumes of the Mahratta noblemen, with their minute details faithfully rendered. Even the horse washing scene commands attention, from the dappled flank of the horse and the dripping sponge of the attendant, to the shimmering metal of the pail. Relieving the ochres of the ground and building is the substantial expanse of cloudless blue sky, a visual respite from the visual detail of the scene. In this work, Weeks demonstrates his genius for painting animals, figures and architecture with equal fidelity - a combination of academic rigour and painterly realism unparalleled among his orientalist contemporaries.
We are grateful to Dr. Ellen K. Morris for her assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.
To be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonn currently being prepared by Dr. Morris.
Although clearly a studio work, the painting reveals its origins in the light, colour and immediacy of Weeks' in situ expedition studies. As is so characteristic of Weeks' work, the entire scene is precisely composed, yet entirely casual and informal in nature. The architectural space of the painting is carefully constructed, while, at the same time, the table along the left edge of the view, the house's tower, and other elements are 'nonchalantly' allowed to run off the edge of the canvas, suggesting a broader space beyond the frame. Suggested, too, is the hot sun of India, in the highlights on the faces of the figures, the mare's coat, the glare of the whitewashed walls, and, by contrast, in the cool shadows of the temple porch and the tree-shaded court of the merchant's house.
The viewer is presented with a slice of everyday life, which equally serves as the formal pretext for a display of the artist's draftmanship and naturalistic handling of colour and surface, as can be seen in the representation of the central horse, and the extraordinaly silk costumes of the Mahratta noblemen, with their minute details faithfully rendered. Even the horse washing scene commands attention, from the dappled flank of the horse and the dripping sponge of the attendant, to the shimmering metal of the pail. Relieving the ochres of the ground and building is the substantial expanse of cloudless blue sky, a visual respite from the visual detail of the scene. In this work, Weeks demonstrates his genius for painting animals, figures and architecture with equal fidelity - a combination of academic rigour and painterly realism unparalleled among his orientalist contemporaries.
We are grateful to Dr. Ellen K. Morris for her assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.
To be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonn currently being prepared by Dr. Morris.