The Honoured Guest - Clemente Pujol De Guastavino (1850-1905)

This magnificent painting depicts the central figure of the Sultan welcoming an honoured guest - perhaps an ağa- to his court. The ağalarwere noblemen, high-ranking military officers, and court officials - some of them were revered enough to hold private audiences with the Sultan himself. The Sultan’s janissaries flank him, standing guard with their iconic, long-barelled shishanaguns. In the background, a servant carries a large chest towards the gathering, likely containing a gift for the Sultan’s esteemed visitor.

Pujol de Guastavino has created a distinct narrative within this work, demonstrating the influence of the French School of Orientalist painting and their flair for the dramatic. As in his other works, Pujol de Guastavino depicts the palatial architecture in the background with immense detail, focusing in particular on areas of ornamentation and stone relief. The clothes worn by each figure within this painting are distinct - Pujol de Guastavino is known to have collected Middle Eastern and North African artefacts to inform his works, so it is very likely that these outfits were ‘props’ that he kept in his studio. This same idea applies to the lavish rug receding into the background. By keeping such items in his studio, Pujol de Guastavino could render the most minute of details from direct reference, rather than having to rely on his memories or reference drawings. This level of detail lends an air of realism to the work, which has undoubtedly appealed to collectors of Orientalist art across the ages.

Clemente Pujol de Guastavino

Pujol de Guastavino was a Spanish artist born in 1850, who began his artistic training at the Fine Arts School in Barcelona. He then became a pupil of Louis Cabat and Jean-Léon Gérôme at the Parisian École des Beaux-Arts in 1876. Pujol de Guastavino became acquainted with a number of French Orientalist painters, which undoubtedly shaped his oeuvre. Whilst also having painted genre scenes, he is best known for his Orientalist works. He collected a number of antiques and artefacts from Middle Eastern and North African cultures, allowing for extensive artistic study to inform his Orientalist compositions.

Pujol de Guastavino was a regular exhibitor at the Salon between 1876 and 1905, and earned a Medal of Honour at the 1889 edition of the Exposition Universelle. He exhibited in the Spanish section of the Exposition Universelle in both 1889 and 1900. He was also signed with the acclaimed art dealer Adolphe Goupil. Pujol de Guastavino passed away in 1905, at the age of 55.