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Lot Essay
Frequently compared to Jean-Léon Gérôme, his friend, former roommate and fellow professor at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, Boulanger may have had a less prolific career than the renowned French master but his compositions are just as detailed, refined and noteworthy. Born into a modest family of Creole origin in Paris, Boulanger was left an orphan at the young age of 14. His uncle and guardian enrolled him in the studio of Pierre-Jules Jollivet followed by that of Paul Delaroche, after which his uncle arranged for the young artist to travel to Algeria. This visit in 1845, early in his career, would set him on the course that would define the trajectory of his development as an artist and his Orientalist subject matter remains the work for which he is best known today. In her study on Boulanger, Marie-Madeleine Aubrun differentiates three categories in the French Orientalist Art movement, classifying Gérôme and Boulanger as 'Ethnological Orientalists' who focused on precision and accuracy in order to elicit in the viewer a sense of the 'real' while at the same time presenting the intriguing and startling world of the Orient. The detail of the decoration of the setting and the figure's costume, in addition to the beautifully contrasting textures of the painting, are all a tribute to Boulanger's absolute mastery of his craft.
The present work is an example of Boulanger’s late work, most likely painted in the studio using props which the artist had collected on his travels. The work was exhibited at the Salon in the year after it was painted, and entered the collection of Princess Mathilde Bonaparte, niece to Napoléon and granddaughter of King Frederick I of Württemberg, one of France's most famed salonnières. A watercolor copy of the present painting was made by the Princess Bonaparte herself and gifted to Boulanger, a testament to the painting's appeal and popularity. Boulanger kept the watercolor until his death, and it was sold in the artist's estate sale in 1889.
The present work is an example of Boulanger’s late work, most likely painted in the studio using props which the artist had collected on his travels. The work was exhibited at the Salon in the year after it was painted, and entered the collection of Princess Mathilde Bonaparte, niece to Napoléon and granddaughter of King Frederick I of Württemberg, one of France's most famed salonnières. A watercolor copy of the present painting was made by the Princess Bonaparte herself and gifted to Boulanger, a testament to the painting's appeal and popularity. Boulanger kept the watercolor until his death, and it was sold in the artist's estate sale in 1889.