Eugène Fromentin (French, 1820-1876), Arabs on Horseback

Oil on mahogany panel, signed "Eug. Fromentin" at lower left, retaining Wilstach Gallery label to verso, presented in a later gilt frame with brass gallery plaque.

Panel 9 3/4 x 16 1/8 in.; Frame dimensions 16 x 22 1/4 in.

Ex. W. P. Wilstach Collection, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Illustrated:
Catalogue of the W. P. Wilstach Collection, Memorial Hall, Published by the Commissioners of Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1922, p. 113

Eugène Fromentin was a French painter, writer, and critic and one of the leading figures of 19th-century Orientalism. Born in La Rochelle, he trained as a landscape painter under Louis-Nicolas Cabat before making the first of several journeys to Algeria in 1846. The landscapes and people he encountered in North Africa became the defining subjects of his career, inspiring atmospheric depictions of desert caravans, Arab horsemen, falcon hunts, and scenes of everyday life. Fromentin debuted at the Paris Salon in 1847 and achieved considerable success, earning numerous honors for his work.

Obscuring varnish visible under UV light; no evidence of retouch or restoration visible under UV light; loss to lower right corner of frame.