01 Painting by Orientalist Artists, The Art of War, Théodore Chassériau's Battle of Arab Horsemen Around a Standard, with footnotes #95

Théodore Chassériau, 1819/1856

Battle of Arab Horsemen Around a Standard (Bataille de cavaliers Arabes autour d'un étendard), c. 1854

Oil on canvas

w63.98 x h53.98 cm

Dallas Museum of Art

The painting is very dramatic and dense, and the soldiers and horses in the center are sketched with loose brushstrokes. The dramatism of the composition is emphasized by the closeness between the participants in the battle and by some gory details, such as the human severed head and his corpse, at the left, in the ground, the bloody swords and the terrified expression of the horses. More on this painting

Théodore Chassériau (September 20, 1819 – October 8, 1856) was a Dominican-born French Romantic painter noted for his portraits, historical and religious paintings, allegorical murals, and Orientalist images inspired by his travels to Algeria. Early in his career he painted in a Neoclassical style close to that of his teacher Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, but in his later works he was strongly influenced by the Romantic style of Eugène Delacroix. He was a prolific draftsman, and made a suite of prints to illustrate Shakespeare's Othello. The portrait he painted at the age of 15 of Prosper Marilhat, makes Théodore Chassériau the youngest painter exhibited at the Louvre museum. More on Théodore Chassériau

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01 Painting by Orientalist Artists. Hocine Ziani's The Numidian horseman, with footnotes, 94

Hocine Ziani

The Numidian horseman, c. 1990

Oil painting on canvas

Private collection, 

Numidian cavalry was a type of light cavalry developed by the Numidians. After they were used by Hannibal during the Second Punic War, they were described by the Roman historian Livy as "by far the best horsemen in Africa."

The Numidian cavalry's horses, ancestors of the Berber horse, were small compared to other horses of the era, and were well adapted for faster movement over long distances. Numidian horsemen rode without saddles or bridles, controlling their mounts with a simple rope around their horse's neck and a small riding stick. They had no form of bodily protection except for a round leather shield or a leopard skin, and their main weapons were javelins in addition to a short sword.

Due to their expert horsemanship and agility, as well as their lack of armor or heavy weaponry, they were most suitable for harassing tactics, charging in loose formation and lobbing their javelins before wheeling off to escape the enemy's counterattack. This harassing tactic, while rarely decisive, could be extremely frustrating to a less mobile enemy, as experienced by Julius Caesar's soldiers during the latter's invasion of Africa

Hannibal's invasion of Rome during the Second Punic War is best known for his use of slow-moving war elephants, but he also employed Numidian cavalry where faster movement was needed, such as luring the Romans into a trap at the Battle of Trebia and for fighting on his right flank.

Numidian cavalry were widely known and not only fought in the Carthaginian army, but in other armies of the time as well. Again during the Second Punic War, the Romans allied with the Numidian king Masinissa who led 6000 horsemen against Hannibal's own in the battle of Zama, where the "Numidian Cavalry turned the scales".

For centuries thereafter, the Roman army employed Numidian light cavalry in separate units.

The Numidian cavalry were also used in Caesars Civil War on the side of Pompey and were used in Battle of Utica. More on Numidian cavalry 

Although born in Algeria in 1953, Hocine Ziani both lives and works in France. Ziani's childhood passion was drawing, which he did so frequently and anywhere he could. Nature, his village, the community around him, and his family were his favorite subjects and it was this creative tenacity that led him to develop his own style of painting, much in line with the Orientalist tradition. Ziani's work depicts the different shades of his native Algeria and all aspects of life in the Sahara.

The background of many of Ziani's paintings resemble the luminous, romantic dust of an on-coming mirage, heightening the drama of his otherwise simple scenes, as shown in the present work, Algerian hospitality. Here, Ziani illustrates a simple act of courtesy in a mysterious, barren landscape, beautifully rendering the jewel-toned robes of the riders on their white camels set against the dust of the desert. The result is a sobering and clean composition injected with the artist's distinct tonal range and talent for shadow and light. Whether executing huge battle scenes commissioned by the Algerian government or more domestic episodes of everyday Saharan life, Ziani's trademark has become a powerful eye for detail and drama proportionate to the genre he has distinguished.

Having actively worked in Algeria from 1978 to 1993, and now in France since 1994, Ziani has been awarded honors by the Academy of Arts in Paris, the Show of the Company of the French Artists in Paris, and the International exhibition in Vittel, among others, and his work has been acquired by numerous institutions and distinguished private collections such as the National Art Museum of Algeria, the History Museum in Buenos Aires, the National Assembly of Algeria, as well as the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia, Prince Rachid of Morocco and the Constitutional Council of Algeria. Ziani is also a founding member of the Central Army Museum in Algiers and a member of the International Fine Arts Academy in Quebec, Canada. More on Hocine Ziani

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01 Painting by Orientalist Artists, Howard A. Terpning's Desert Storm, with footnotes #89

Howard A. Terpning (American, 1927)

Desert Storm, c. 1971

Acrylic and pencil on panel

27-1/4 x 20 inches (69.2 x 50.8 cm)

Private collection

On sale for $14,062 in September 2023

Howard Terpning (born November 5, 1927) is an American painter and illustrator best known for his paintings of Native Americans.

Terpning was born in Oak Park, Illinois. His mother was an interior decorator, and his father worked for the railroad. As a boy he liked to draw and knew by the age of seven that he wanted to be an artist. At age 15, he became fascinated with the West and Native Americans. When he turned 17, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and served from 1945 through 1946. 

After leaving the Marines he enrolled at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts in their two-year commercial art program using the G.I. Bill to pay his tuition. To further his study he attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago for six months where he honed his life drawing and painting skills.

After art school a family friend introduced Terpning to Haddon Sundblom, a successful and highly regarded illustrator of that time. Sundblom hired Terpning to work at his Chicago studio as an apprentice. Initially, Terpning ran errands, cut mats, built crates and cleaned brushes. After about a year and a half he began to work on his own commissions. In 1955, he moved to a Milwaukee studio where he stayed for three years before relocating to New York where he was hired by a major Chicago studio. By 1962, he was working as a freelance artist. During his 25 years as an illustrator he created magazine covers, story illustrations and advertising art for publications such as Reader's Digest, Time, Newsweek, Good Housekeeping, Field & Stream, McCall's, Redbook, and Ladies' Home Journal.

In 1967, in the midst of his commercial art career Terpning left his home in Connecticut and headed to Vietnam as a civilian combat artist. He was invited by the Marine Corps to document the war by living with the Marines for one month. After two weeks of training he wound up in Da Nang, South Vietnam, with camera and sketch pad going out on patrols with combat troops. Of the experience Terpning stated he was "profoundly changed" by the experience. Upon his return home he created six paintings which are now at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. More on Howard Terpning

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01 Orientalist Painting, Feliks Michal Wygrzywalski's The Maharadja's entourage, with footnotes #115

Feliks Michal Wygrzywalski (Polish, 1875-1944)

The Mahārāja's entourage

Oil on canvas

59 x 79.5 cm

Private collection

Sold for EUR 8,963 in Apr 2004

Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or "high king".

A few ruled states informally called empires. The 'Title inflation' soon led to most being rather mediocre or even petty in real power, which led to compound titles being used in an attempt to distinguish some among their ranks. More on the Mahārāja

Feliks Michał Wygrzywalski (20 November 1875, Przemyśl – 5 September 1944, Rzeszów) was a Polish painter; remembered primarily for his Orientalist scenes and portraits. He also created a significant number of nudes.

Thanks to a scholarship from the Malinowski Foundation, he was able to study at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich from 1893 to 1898. This was followed by some time at the Académie Julian in Paris and a study trip to Italy.

In 1900, he decided to settle in Rome. His studies there consisted largely of copying the Old Masters, but he also created landscapes and nudes. Later, he provided illustrations for the Polish travel magazine, Wędrowiec (The Wanderer), as well as magazines in Germany and Russia.

In 1906, he visited Egypt, creating numerous paintings and sketches for later use. When he came back to Poland in 1908, he lived in Lwów, where he had been commissioned to paint murals at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He also did some stage designs. During World War I, he moved to Rostov-on-Don and became a drawing professor. He returned to Lwów when the war was over.

He was a frequent participant in exhibitions, but his first personal showing came only in 1932, at the local "Society of Friends of the Fine Arts". During this period, his major work was a series of fourteen paintings, depicting the history of dance. For most of his later life, he maintained his own art salon in Lwów. During the post-war depression, many upper-class people sold their paintings there; often entire collections.

In July 1944, at the approach of the Red Army, he was forced to flee Lwów, leaving all of his possessions behind. He found refuge at a tenement house in Rzeszów, but died only a few months later, from a stroke; possibly the result of an injury he suffered while fleeing. He was buried at the local cemetery, but his grave has not survived. More on Feliks Michał Wygrzywalski

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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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01 Orientalist Painting, Nils Forsberg's Dance of the Almeh, with footnotes #113

Nils Forsberg, Swedish, 1842 - 1934

The Dance of the Almeh

Ooil on canvas

208.3 by 122cm., 82½ by 48¾in.

Private collection

Estimated for 30,000 - 50,000 GBP in October 2022

Almah (Egyptian dancer), was the name of a class of courtesans or female entertainers in Egypt, women educated to sing and recite classical poetry and to discourse wittily. They were educated girls of good social standing, trained in dancing, singing and poetry, present at festivals and entertainments, and hired as mourners at funerals.

The Awalim were first introduced as singers, not dancers-cum-prostitutes, according to Edward William Lane's book, Manner and Costumes of modern Egyptians. Lane additionally wrote that the Almah didn't display herself at all, but sang from behind a screen or from another room at weddings and other respectable festivities. Consequently, the Awalem were not subject to exile in Upper Egypt.  More on Almeh

Nils Forsberg (17 December 1842 – 8 November 1934) was a Swedish painter who lived and worked in Paris for much of his career.

Forsberg was born in a small village called Riseberga, in the province of Scania. The son of a peasant, he spent his early years in farming, then was apprenticed to a house-painter at Göteborg. He made a statue of Minerva which procured for him a government stipend which enabled him to go to Paris in 1867. In Paris he was a student in the atelier of Léon Bonnat. Art historian Richard Muther would later write that Forsberg "became the Swedish Bonnat". 

The siege of Paris, during which he enlisted in the Ambulance Department, afforded him opportunities for studying and sketching the scenes that he observed. In 1877 he exhibited Family of Acrobats before the Circus Director, now in the Gothenburg Museum of Art. This work, which typifies Forsberg's commitment to social reform, shows the influence of the French Realists in its depiction of child labor

In 1888 he received the gold medal at the Salon for his painting The Death of a Hero, now in the Nationalmuseum of Stockholm. The culmination of his ambition to renew traditional history painting with a vigorous contemporary realism, it took him several years to complete, and was inspired by his experiences during the Franco-Prussian War. Afterwards he devoted himself more especially to historical subjects. In 1904 he returned to Sweden. He died in Helsingborg on 8 November 1934. More on Nils Forsberg

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01 Orientalist Painting, Alberto Pasini's Watering the Horses, with footnotes #112

Alberto Pasini, Italian, 1826 - 1899

Watering the Horses, c. 1874

Oil on canvas

32.5 by 25cm., 12¾ by 9¾in.

Private collection

Sold for 47,880 GBP in October 2022

Alberto Pasini (Busseto, 3 September 1826 – Cavoretto, 15 December 1899) was an Italian painter. He was enrolled at the age of 17 years, in the Academy of Fine Art of Parma, studying landscape painting and drawing. In Parma, he was helped early on by Antonio Pasini, who painted for the local nobility and collaborated with the publishing house established by Giovanni Battista Bodoni. By 1852, he exhibited a series of thirty designs, made into lithographs, depicting various castles around Piacenza, Lunigiana and Parma. He was noticed by the artist Paolo Toschi, who encouraged Pasini to travel to Paris, where Pasini first joined the workshop of Charles and Eugène Ciceri, of the so-called School of Barbizon.

In 1853 his lithograph of The Evening gained him admittance to the Paris Salon, and to the workshop of the famous Théodore Chassériau. The eruption of the Crimean War offered a new opportunity, when in February 1855, this latter painter recommended Pasini to replace him on the entourage of the French plenipotentiary minister Nicolas Prosper Bourée to Persia. Pasini accompanied him, returning through the north of Persia and Armenia before reaching the port of Trebizond. In subsequent trips, he visited Egypt, the Red Sea, Arabia, Istanbul, and Persia. Pasini parlayed his exposures during this trip into numerous highly detailed paintings of orientalist subjects. He left again for Istanbul in October 1867, summoned by the French Ambassador Bourée. He returned to Turkey in 1876 to execute the four paintings commissioned by Sultan Abdul Aziz. He was about to return to Istanbul the next year, when his patron, the Sultan, died.

In 1865, he spent some time in Cannes, painted landscapes of the Riviera. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, he returned to Italy, settling in Cavoretto, on the hills around Turin. He continued to travel, closer to his home, with trips to Venice and two sojourns in Spain in 1879 and 1883. More Alberto Pasini

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