Orientalist School. Durand-brager "harem Scene In Algiers"

Orientalist School. Watercolor on paper, "Harem Scene in Algiers," signed lower left Durand. 47 x 39.5 cm. French School. Jean-Baptiste Henri Durand-Brager (1814-1879) entered the studio of the painter Eugène Isabey (1803-1886). After several long expeditions, this adventurous artist soon traveled throughout Europe, Algeria, Senegal, and almost the entire Atlantic coast of Africa. In 1840, he was part of the expedition tasked with bringing the ashes of Napoleon I back to France (source: Bénézit Dictionary of Painters and Sculptors). The Museums of Bordeaux, Laval, Nantes, and Versailles hold some of his works. Our watercolor is a perfect example of the work Durand-Brager produced during his stay in Algiers from 1850 onwards. His style is recognizable by the precision of the architectural details (columns, horseshoe arches, upstairs gallery, mashrabiya screens) and his treatment of light, which is very soft here. It is framed in a patinated wooden frame from the period. There is a small hole in the center of the composition, at the level of the forearms of the young woman in the green fez. Good condition. 1900 euros.