Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Hindu Snake Charmers
(18th and 19th Centuries )
Mariano Fortuny accompanied General Prim's military expedition to Morocco in 1860. Following the defeat of the Moroccan army at the battle of Tétouan, Spain controlled a portion of the western Sahara until 1976. On a number of occasions, Fortuny returned to North Africa, where the clarity of the atmosphere and the intensity of the sunlight profoundly influenced him. In this scene, set outdoors at twilight, a turbaned Indian mesmerizes a cobra with a reed. The artist, a collector of Islamic decorative arts, includes such accessories as a copper bowl, luster plate, and saddle.
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.
D. H. Foll, Geneva [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; A. T. Stewart [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; A. T. Stewart Sale, New York, March 23-30, 1887, no. 128; William T. Walters, Baltimore, 1887, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894, by inheritance; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2014-2016 | From Rye to Raphael: The Walters Story. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2012 | Public Property. |
| 2010-2011 | L'Orientalisme, de Delacroix a Kandinsky. Musees royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels; Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, Munich; Musée des Beaux-Arts, Marseille, Marseille. |
| 1970 | Fortuny and His Circle. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 6/12/1951 | Treatment | varnish removed; coated |
| 8/19/1980 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 4/8/1988 | Loan Consideration | examined for loan |
| 9/11/1989 | Technical Report | examined for technical study |
| 12/30/2009 | Loan Consideration | examined for loan |
Measurements
H: 23 1/8 x W: 49 x D: 7/8 in. (58.74 x 124.46 x 2.22 cm); Framed H: 38 7/8 x W: 64 3/4 x D: 5 3/4 in. (98.74 x 164.47 x 14.61 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by William T. Walters, 1887
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.
37.117