On the Desert

Description Gerome was a frequent traveler first visiting the East in 1854 and returning in 1867, 1869, 1875, and 1881. Some of his "Orientalist" paintings are of documentary interest whereas others are highly romanticized. This small panel, commissioned by William T. Walters, depicts two hounds being walked by a Nubian in a barren and windy desert. The trim shapes of the dogs suggest that they are "Pharaoh Hounds," a breed descended from the hunting dogs of ancient Egypt.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
1/11/1938	Treatment	cleaned; coated
5/23/1989	Examination	examined for condition
5/23/1989	Technical Report	examined for technical study
1/01/1991	Treatment	cleaned; loss compensation; coated

Exhibitions

• Jean-Léon Gérôme. Dayton Art Institute, Dayton; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis; The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1972-1973.
• Public Property. 2012.
• From Rye to Raphael: The Walters Story. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2014-2016.

Provenance William T. Walters, Baltimore, 1867, by purchase [from the artist]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894, by inheritance; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Inscriptions [Signature] Lower left: J. L. Gerome

Credit Acquired by William T. Walters, 1867