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The Palace Guard signed and dated 'L. Deutsch Paris 1893' (upper left) oil on panel 251/2 x 181/2 in. (64.8 x 47 cm.) Painted in 1893 PROVENANCE J. Cooling and Sons, London. M. Newman Ltd., London. Anon. sale, Sotheby's, London, 26 November 1980, lot 91. Fine Arts Society, Ltd., London Acquired from the above by the present owner circa 1981. LITERATURE P. Cruysmans, Orientalist Painting, Brussels, 1982, p. 115 (illustrated). NOTES Ludwig Deutsch and Rudolf Ernst, the two most crucial Austrian Orientalists, were very close friends and led nearly parallel lives. Born in Vienna only one year apart, they both attended the city's renowned Academy of Fine Arts before settling in Paris. Largely influenced by Jean-L‚on G‚r“me's academic style, they both began traveling to the Middle East by 1880's. While Deutsch went on to Egypt, Ernst traveled through Algeria and Tunis. When Deutsch won the gold medal at the 1900 Exposition Universelle for an Orientalist composition, Ernst won the honorable mention. The two were naturalized as French citizens soon thereafter and purchased homes outside Paris that were decorated in the Orientalist fashion. Both homes housed sizable private collections of Middle Eastern textiles and artifacts. Little is known about Deutsch's visits to Egypt but it appears that from 1883 until 1904 he might have traveled there as many as five times. During his many trips to Egypt one subject matter appears to have captured his mind and stimulated his creativity entirely - Nubians. Located in today's southern Egypt and northern Sudan, ancient Nubia has one of the harshest climates with infrequent rainfall, making it nearly impossible to farm. Yet, in antiquity, Nubia was a land of great natural wealth, of gold mines, ebony, ivory and incense. Some of Africa's greatest civilizations emerged here, centers of achievement whose existence was based on industry and trade. Such prosperity made Nubia the target for continuous attacks from its Northern neighbors, first Egypt followed by the Eastern Roman Empire. Nubians were initially converted to Christianity during the time of Justinian in the 6th Century A.D. only to be converted to Islam during the Mameluke invasion. By the 16th Century, virtually all Nubians had converted and were conquered by Muslims. During the Ottoman reign Nubia was under the jurisdiction of the Khalif of Egypt who by 1805, with much help from England, had acquired complete internal jurisdiction over his land from the Ottoman Sultan at an annual cost of 80,000 gold pieces. It is around this time that Englishmen visiting the country recorded the Nubian palace guards, as well as the slaves in their memoirs - a subject matter that progressively become a favorite in the West by the second half of the century. Deutsch's triumph with the Nubian subject matter is reminiscent of G‚r“me's accomplishment with Bashi- Bazouks. Despite the high gloss finish, the microscopic detail and the exemplary attention to photographic exactitude, and without burdening their art with academic virtuoso, both artists achieve total expression of their subject's individual characters. Although the model in the present work from 1893 is different than the one used for The Palace Guard of 1892 (sold Christie's, New York, 1 November 1999, lot 37) (fig. 1), many of the architectural details, garments, arms and armor are shared. To further the sense of naturalism in his compositions, Deutsch became a collector of Middle Eastern artifacts that he incorporated into his paintings. The chiseled and tombak gilt Persian mighfar, arm-protector and shield, as well as the guard's red shoes and his Indian powder horn are all props from his private inventory that are illustrated in both works of art. The horizontal strip of Andalusian black and red marble decoration also appears in both works, signifying that this invented interior was based on Deutsch's close observations at genuine Hispano-Moroccan sites such as in Cordoba and Granada. The intensely detailed depiction of the guard enhanced by his isolated framing produce a psychologically penetrating image. By capturing the slightly quizzical element to his expression Deutsch conveys the nobility, strength and grace that were the essence of a palace guard. As the light glimmers on his mighfar's chain mail, the Persian brass shield leaning against the white marble column and reflects across the gold and the pink silks of his garments, it also highlights his full lips and illuminates his richly dark skin. The glorious combination of the guard's majestic posture enhanced by luscious textiles, powerful and glittering armor enveloped by a spectacular Andalusian double arched entrance is an evidence of Deutsch's astounding dexterity. (fig. 1) Ludwig Deutsch, The Palace Guard, Christie's New York, 1 November 1999, lot 37 ($3,192,500), Private Collection. SALESROOM NOTICE Period frame on loan from Eli Wilner and available for purchase. Please inquire with department.