The Caliph of Constantine
ArtistThéodore Chassériau
Year1845
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions325 cm × 259 cm (128 in × 102 in)
LocationPalace of Versailles, Versailles

The Caliph of Constantine, full title, Ali Ben-Hamet, Caliph de Constantine and Chief of the Haractas, Followed by his Escort, is an oil-on-canvas painting by the French artist Théodore Chassériau, executed in 1845. It is held at the Palace of Versailles.

Description

This painting in the orientalist style is a good example of the "passion for color and movement" that gripped Chasseriau at this time. The equestrian portrait represents Ali Ben Ahmed, the leader of the Haraktas, in Algeria, who had invited Chassériau during his visit to Paris.[1] He appears triumphantly riding his brown horse, dressed in his typical Arab garment, followed by four members of his tribe, one of them black, also riding horses and holding spears. Clouds of dust rise from the horses' hooves. In the background at the right is an Arab city, with some buildings in Moorish style.

Critical reception

The painting was exhibited at the Salon of 1845, where it received mixed reviews.[2] Chassériau was accused of doing a "harmful imitation of the art of Delacroix", although the painting was described as "full of grandeur and majesty".[3] He was also accused of a lack of science and firmness in the depiction of the horses, and was criticized for the way he painted the limbs of the leading horse in the foreground.[4]

References

  1. ↑ François Pouillon, Dictionnaire des orientalistes de langue française, Paris, Karthala Editions, 2012, p. 214 (French)
  2. ↑ Dominique Massonaud, Le nu moderne au salon (1799-1853): revue de presse, Grenoble, ELLUG, 2005, volume 5, p. 169 (French)
  3. ↑ Dominique Massonaud, Le nu moderne au salon (1799-1853): revue de presse, Grenoble, ELLUG, 2005, volume 5, p. 169 (French)
  4. ↑ Théophile Thoré, Salons de T. Thoré: 1844, 1845, 1846, 1847, 1848, J. Renouard, 1870, 2nd edition, p. 121 (French)
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