01 Orientalist Painting, Gustave Boulanger's Tribute, with footnotes #114

Gustave Boulanger, French, 1824 - 1888

The Tribute, c. 1871

Oil on canvas

67 by 47cm., 26¼ by 18½in.

Private collection

Sold for 107,100 GBP in March 2022

A young emir and his entourage, resting in the shade of the forest - perhaps resting on a journey - receive a passing traveller. The latter, in a crimson outer robe, his horse left untethered behind the great baobab tree, appears to offer the young nobleman a talisman of some kind, as a gesture of kindness or respect. This the young man accepts, and a friendship is struck. The emir’s escort, a robed Nubian and a bashi bazouk, recognizable by his distinctive white kilt, look on amenably. More on this painting

Gustave Clarence Rodolphe Boulanger (25 April 1824 – October 1888) was a French figure painter known for his classical and Orientalist subjects. He was born at Paris in 1824, and orphaned at age 14 His uncle and guardian subsequently sent him to the studio of Pierre-Jules Jollivet and then to Delaroche in 1840. In 1849 took the Prix de Rome with his painting, Ulysses, a work which combined a classical approach with Orientalist overtones.


In 1845, he first visited Algeria and this gave him an interest in Orientalist themes. Boulanger's knowledge of Pompeii, which he visited while studying at the École de Rome, also gave him ideas for many future works. His paintings are prime examples of academic art of the time, particularly history painting. Boulanger had visited Italy, Greece, and North Africa, and his paintings reflect his attention to culturally correct details and skill in rendering the female form.

He began teaching at the Institut de France in 1882 and was an influential teacher, noted for his dislike of the Impressionism. More on Gustave Clarence Rodolphe Boulanger

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