Quittant la mosquée

The present picture relates closely to a number of Gérôme's late works, depicting worshippers in and around mosques. These paintings are characterised by a soft, diffused light, with an emphasis on vertical columns that break up the picture plane, painted arches and carefully arranged groups of figures. Bright areas of local colour are normally provided by the beautifully observed costumes worn by the worshippers. These images of piety, prayer and peaceful contemplation represent a large part of Gerome's activity in his later years.

The majority of these paintings were executed in Gérôme's Paris studio using many of the props and costumes that he had collected on his frequent trips to Egypt and the Middle East, throughout his life. Gérôme's famous attention to detail was facilitated by the large number of sketches he made whilst travelling. In the present work, small incidental details play an important role in balancing the composition. The orange-sellers sitting below the steps with their baskets of brightly coloured fruit echo the colours of the costumes worn by those leaving the mosque. Likewise, the seated figure smoking in the far left of the composition and the young man leaning over the top of the steps both wear pale blue robes, counter-balancing the blue of the sky, glimpsed in the top right of the picture. Gérôme skilfully incorporates a large number of figures into the composition without the painting appearing crowded, and without loosing the serenity of the scene.