Huguet studied with Eugène Fromentin in Paris (see lots 3 and 51). He first visited Egypt in 1852 and a year later accompanied Durand Brager to the Crimea (see lot 86). 'His pictures were generally set in Algeria, Libya and Egypt, or, occasionally, Constantinople. He excelled in painting horses and his work was early on appreciated by collectors. ... Although Huguet's paintings are practically never dated, his technique over the years became more Impressionistic and his colours lighter and richer' (L. Thornton, Women as Portrayed in Orientalist Painting, Paris, 1985, p. 237)