The Orient is on the mind in Artcurial’s forthcoming sale, ‘From Constantinople to Tangier, an Italian Private Collection’, which is taking place ahead of the New Year on 30 December in Paris.
36 paintings with motifs from the Middle East are included in the sale, in a great diversity of styles from 25 European artists of the second half of the 19th century. The pieces have been purchased over a period of 30 years by a singular Italian art lover, whose superlative eye for painting is brought to the fore here. The diverse themes covered in the auction include the Ottoman Empire, the Maghreb, Constantinople and Cairo, the desert and harems, sun and shade, and much more.
Not to mention a huge variety of landscapes are also featured, such as this exquisite sunset in soft oranges, yellows and pinks by Hermann Corrodi (1844-1905). Corrodi was an Italian artist who travelled widely in the Far East, including Egypt, Syria, Cyprus and Istanbul, which provided the subject for many of his paintings, such as this one.
Though known as a landscape painter in the academic style as well as that typical of 19th-century Orientalism, Corrodi was also acquainted with most of European royalty at the time, including a friendship with Queen Victoria.
Alberto Rossi’s Le Café is one of the many picturesque scenes within the collection, its earthy palette and tones immediately transporting the viewer to an exotic destination. Within the scene, five figures gather around tables drinking coffee and talking in relaxed and casual poses.
Rossi (1858-1936) was another Italian artist; he was a pupil at the Albertina Academy in Turin.
Many genre scenes devoted to intimate subjects are also featured, such as L’odalisque et le musicien by Raffaelo Sorbi and La gazelle apprivoisée (The Tame Gazelle) by Eugène Girardet (pictured).
Girardet’s painting depicts a typical harem, a sacred and inviolable place for female members of the family, in sumptuous detail and colour. Girardet (1853-1907) was a French Orientalist painter who studied at the École des Beaux-arts and, throughout his lifetime, made eight trips to Algeria, particularly the South, as well as visiting Egypt and Palestine.
Finally, we’d be remiss to not mention Théodore Frère’s Grande caravane de La Mecque (Great Oriental Group of Mecca), arguably one of the best pieces in the sale. It is a grand historical work measuring 100 x 170.5 cm.
Within the picture, dust circles the camels’ hooves, as the group makes its way across from the left to the right of the canvas. The scene is depicted at what appears to be dawn, the soft yellows and purples signalling the day break. The tones, palette and style of painting are calming and soothing to get lost in, and its large scale means it’s easy to spend time doing exactly that.
30 December is the date to mark your calendars: ‘From Constantinople to Tangier, an Italian Private Collection’ at Artcurial in Paris.
![Photo by Michal Matlon via Unsplash [detail]](https://images.prismic.io/barnebys/738766d7-2cc7-4258-9028-f5c634a4d9d3_Cover+final.jpg?auto=compress,format)
