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La priŠre dans le d‚sert signed 'J. L. Gerome.' (lower right) oil on panel 19 1/8 x 32 in. (48.5 x 81.3 cm.) Painted in 1864 PROVENANCE Goupil & Cie., Paris, acquired directly from the artist in 1864. H. J. Turner Esq., Boston, purchased from the above in 1864 (FFr 18,000). George Christiancy, given by Jessie B. Christiancy, Christmas 1915 (on a label on the reverse). LITERATURE E. Shinn-Strahan, ed., G‚r“me: A Collection of the Works of J. L. G‚r“me in One Hundred Photogravures, New York, 1881-1883, vol. I, pl. XXIX. F. F. Hering, The Life and Works of Jean L‚on G‚r“me, New York, 1892, pp. 107-8. G. Ackerman, The Life and Work of Jean-L‚on G‚r“me, London 1986, no. 151 (as lost) (illustrated p. 217). G. Ackerman, La vie et l'oeuvre de Jean-L‚on G‚r“me, 2nd edn., Paris, 2000, no. 151 (as lost) (illustrated p. 257). Exhibition catalogue, G‚r“me & Goupil Art and Enterprise, Paris, 2000, p. 153 (illustrated as a photogravure). EXHIBITION B. A. M. (possibly Baltimore Art Museum), Exhibition of French Pictures, 1898 (loaned by Turner, on a label on the reverse). NOTES This previously lost work, painted in 1864 is the prime version of a composition that G‚r“me also painted in a reduced format in the same year (this reduction was sold at Sotheby's New York, 22 February 1989, lot 66, $165,000), and which Goupil reproduced in the form of a photogravure. The present work is more fully worked and richer in detail than the reduction, and Professor Gerald Ackerman has described it as, 'A splendid work of G‚r“me, painted at his peak in the 1860s when his fascination with the daily life in Islamic lands was fresh, curious and respectful' (private communication, dated 2 May 2002). La priŠre dans le d‚sert depicts a vast landscape with a long caravan trailing back into the distance, emerging from the mountains into the hot, dry desert. In the foreground we see the leader in the act of prayer, his mantle laid out on the ground in the absence of a carpet, his lance thrust into the ground beside him like a minaret. Muslims are required to pray five times during the course of the day. As with most visitors to Islamic countries, G‚r“me was greatly impressed by the unself-conscious piety of Muslim men, who would stop what they were doing, wherever they were, almost spontaneously it seemed to westerners, for the appointed hours of prayer. G‚r“me himself, harboured anti-clerical sympathies, and this display of Islamic piety particularly struck him because of the apparent lack of clergy during prayertime. It seemed to him that such devotion sprang directly from the piety of the community, unhindered by clerical control. G‚r“me painted men at prayer in a variety of settings, in their homes, at the mosque and, as in this case, in the desert. The main figure in the present picture is one of G‚r“me's most vivid creations. His richly patterened costume is highlighted in the bright sunlight and his weaponry is rendered in marvellous detail. The play of light and shadow is brilliantly depicted on his bowed head, outstretched hands and on the folds of his clothing. The sense of piety and humility seen in the facial expression is matched by the gesturing hands and in the elegant pose. Behind the figure we see his handsome white horse, thankful for the rest and taking a well-earned feed, grazing on a tuft of grass. Beyond is a vast expanse of desert, with a mountain range stretching the length of the horizon, partially lost in mist. This may well derive from one of the oil sketches G‚r“me made of the landscape on his travels in Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula. The contrast between the brightly-lit foreground, the vast plain and the distant mountains is wonderfully captured by the artist. Furthermore, the combination of a private moment of devotion, set against the vast expanse of desert, make this striking composition one of G‚r“me's most impressive landscapes. We are grateful to Professor Gerald Ackerman for his help in preparing this catalogue entry. SALESROOM NOTICE Please note the frame for this picture is on loan. Please refer to the department for assistance.