Turkish Sentinel

Charles Bargue (French, about 1825–1883)

1877

Medium/TechniqueOil on panel

Dimensions28 x 21 cm (11 x 8 1/4 in.)

Credit LineBequest of Susan Cornelia Warren

Accession number03.601

On View

Not on view

ClassificationsPaintings

Collections

Europe

Description

Bargue and Jean-Léon Gérôme collaborated on a three-volume course on drawing the human figure, intended to guide the novice student preparing to enter a professional workshop. Bargue flaunted his skill as a draughtsman in this jewel-like picture of a Turkish guard. The tiny composition boasts a remarkable range of textures and surfaces, from the gleaming hookah, to the cobbled street, to the soft pleated folds of the figure’s skirt.

InscriptionsLower right, on wall: BARGVE / 77

ProvenanceA. Donatis [see note 1]. 1898, Arnold and Tripp, Paris; 1898, sold by Arnold and Tripp to to Susan Cornelia Clarke (Mrs. Samuel Dennis) Warren (b. 1825 - d. 1901), Boston; January 8, 1903, Mrs. S. D. Warren sale, American Art Association, New York, lot 19, to the MFA for $5,300. (Accession Date: January 13, 1903)

NOTES:
[1] A label on the reverse of the panel reads: "Collection A. Donatis, No. 1".