Lot Essay
'Jean-Léon Gérôme was during the second half of the 19th Century one of the most famous painters in the world ... Gérôme was not only a superb technician, but was the most successful and influential artist of the Orientalist movement'. (L. Thornton, The Orientalists Painter-Travellers, 1828-1908, Paris, 1983, p. 112)
He first visited Egypt in 1856, spending four months navigating the Nile with friends, and a further four months in Cairo in a house lent by Soliman Pasha.
By the mid-1860s Gérôme was a member of the Institute and, according to Gerald Ackerman, at the height of his career.
He first visited Egypt in 1856, spending four months navigating the Nile with friends, and a further four months in Cairo in a house lent by Soliman Pasha.
By the mid-1860s Gérôme was a member of the Institute and, according to Gerald Ackerman, at the height of his career.