Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Bashi-Bazouk Singing
(18th and 19th Centuries )
An Albanian soldier, called an Arnaut, is seated beside his hookah (water pipe), playing an oud (a lute-like instrument) accompanied by the cawing of a pet raven perched on its cage. Seated in the background are three Bashi-Bazouks, or members of the Ottoman Empire's irregular troops, who were noted for their ferocity. Gérôme visited Greece and Turkey in 1854, sailed up the Nile River in 1857, and returned to the Near East on a number of occasions. Much of his work was devoted to "orientalist" paintings, which he imbued with a sense of reality by providing a wealth of details. However, paintings in this genre stereotype their subjects and often have a racist message.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Goupil et Cie., Paris; James B. Haggin et al. Sale, New York, 1917, no. 40 [R. H. Lorenz as agent]; purchased by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1917; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
Exhibitions
| 2015-2016 | Gérôme and His Circle: Travel, Art, and Business in the Middle East. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2014-2016 | From Rye to Raphael: The Walters Story. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2010-2011 | The Spectacular Art of Jean-Léon Gérôme. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; Musee D'Orsay, Paris; Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid. |
| 1987-1988 | The Orientalists. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 8/12/1971 | Treatment | coated |
| 5/1/1976 | Treatment | other |
| 10/22/1998 | Loan Consideration | examined for loan |
Geographies
France (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 18 1/4 x W: 26 in. (46.3 x 66 cm); Framed H: 30 1/4 x W: 38 x D: 4 3/4 in. (76.8 x 96.5 x 12.1 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1917
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.883