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Moslem at Prayer

Charles Bargue (French, 1826-1883) (Artist)
1883
charcoal on smooth, moderately thick, blued white wove paper
(18th and 19th Centuries )

This may be a study for a lost painting or an illustration known only as a grisaille (a monochrome) titled "Arabs at Prayer," which shows a group of men, seen from behind, in the interior of a mosque. This lost work is reproduced on page 305 of Gerald A. Ackerman's annotated reissued version of the drawings course that Bargue put together with fellow French academic painter, Jean-Léon Gérôme. This became the leading resource for teaching drawing in the second half of the 19th century.

"Moslem at Prayer" was one of four drawings purchased in June 1883 from Goupil by George Lucas, William T. Walters' primary dealer in Paris. Walters' interest in images of prayer dated back to the early 1860s, when he filled two entire albums with such works.

Inscription

"C. Bargue" in black ink, lower right; "57" in graphite, upper right, verso.

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, Paris; purchased by William T. Walters (through George A. Lucas as agent), Baltimore, 1883; inherited by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894; 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.
2005-2006 The Essence of Line: French Drawings from Ingres to Degas. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma.
2003-2004 Charles Bargue: The Art of Drawing. Dahesh Museum of Art, New York.
1998-1999 Botanical Delights: Floral Motifs in 19th-Century Art. Government House, Annapolis; Strathmore Hall Art Center, North Bethesda; Academy Art Museum, Easton.
1998-1999 A Discerning Eye: Nineteenth-century Drawings and Watercolors. Academy Art Museum, Easton.
1983 A Connoisseur's Portfolio: Nineteenth-century Drawings and Watercolors in the Walters Art Gallery. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.

Conservation

Date Description Narrative
1/1/2002 Treatment examined for exhibition; cleaned; mounted; other
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Geographies

France (Place of Origin)

Measurements

H: 6 9/16 x W: 9 15/16 in. (16.7 x 25.3 cm); Mat H: 14 1/4 × W: 19 1/4 in. (36.2 × 48.9 cm)

Credit Line

Acquired by William T. Walters, 1883

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.

37.1339

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Related Objects

Image for Arab Kneeling in Prayer

Arab Kneeling in Prayer

Charles Bargue (French, 1826-1883)
ca. 1883
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Image for Moslem Prostrating Himself on Prayer Rug

Moslem Prostrating Himself on Prayer Rug

Charles Bargue (French, 1826-1883)
ca. 1883
view details
Image for Arab Kneeling in Prayer

Arab Kneeling in Prayer

Charles Bargue (French, 1826-1883)
ca. 1875
view details

Hours

  • Wednesday—Sunday: 10 a.m.—5 p.m.
  • Thursday: 1–8 p.m.
  • Monday—Tuesday: Closed

Location

600 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD
21201

Phone

410-547-9000

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