Bashi-Bazouk, 1868–69
Price range: $265.00 through $445.00
Gérôme came home from a journey through the Near East in 1868 with costumes he had collected along the way, then dressed a model in them in his Paris studio. The result is pure theatre: an Ottoman mercenary in a silk tunic far too exquisite for any battlefield.
Gérôme knew exactly how to seduce a Paris audience: exotic costume, flawless technique and a touch of theatre. This portrait brings all three into a room, with a little old-world glamour besides.
The print
Print Quality: Gallery-standard archival pigment giclée, made to order
Media: 308gsm 100% cotton Hahnemühle Photo Rag
Texture & Tone: Super-matte, smooth chalky finish with soft, muted blacks
Longevity: Museum-grade, generational permanence
Photo Rag suits this painting especially well. Its matte cotton surface does justice to Gérôme’s famous textures, the sheen of silk and the weight of fringe, without the glare of a glossy print.
Sizes available:
40×50cm, 16×20″, fine art print, open edition
60×80cm, 24×31″, fine art print, open edition
Safe, tracked delivery guaranteed worldwide, with sustainable packaging.
The story
In 1868 Gérôme spent twelve weeks travelling in the Near East. He was at the height of his career, and back in his Paris studio he dressed a model in the garments and accessories he had brought home.
The title is the name given to the poorly paid irregular soldiers who fought for plunder under Ottoman command; Gérôme’s Turkish title translates as “broken-head”. It is hard to imagine this man charging into battle in such a gorgeous silk tunic, and that is rather the point. Gérôme was selling a fantasy of the East, and nobody painted fabric, skin and light more convincingly.
The painting was given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York by Mrs Charles Wrightsman in 2008.
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