Peter Rees
Director, Head of Sales
Lot 38Y
G. Esperon(19th Century)Dancing figures in an interior
Amended
20 October 2021, 15:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £25,250 inc. premium
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G. Esperon (19th Century)
Dancing figures in an interior
signed and dated 'G.Esperon 1889' (lower left)
oil on canvas
110 x 149cm (43 5/16 x 58 11/16in).
signed and dated 'G.Esperon 1889' (lower left)
oil on canvas
110 x 149cm (43 5/16 x 58 11/16in).
Footnotes
Little is known about the life and work of G. Esperon, however this lively depiction of numerous figures in a rich interior is a fascinating work. The subject itself is intriguing as on first glance, one might assume that it is a harem scene given that the room is not on the ground floor; there is also the lack of a fountain or other element typically found in a public (reception) space. However, the Koranic inscription and the presence of men (there are two young servants and another figure who appears to serving coffee and therefore not likely to be the harem master but could be a eunuch) might suggest otherwise.
The inscription, taken from the Quran 76:21 (Aya 21 from Surat Al-Insaan) is interesting as it is religious and would only have appeared in a mosque or madrasa and refers to men in Paradise. Here, the artist has depicted women in a profane setting and engaged in dancing. It is possible that Esperon did not read Arabic, but the visual quotes in this painting, and what we know of him make this appear unlikely. In 1858 he made a sketch of Joseph Hekekyan Bey (1807-1875) - the Turkish born, English educated civil engineer who worked with British geologist Leonard Horner to measure silt deposits in the Nile- and the portrait of Osman Pashi Rifki (Christie's London in 2014, 10 April 2014, lot 232), seem to suggest that he was an artist with some grasp of Middle Eastern culture and of Arabic.
The picture also has artistic nods to other painters – tiles from Gerome, clothing patterns reminiscent of Liotard, and architectural references to John Frederick Lewis. Indeed, the work was considered so decorative that it was reproduced as a postcard in 1900.
Saleroom notices
Please note that this lot is subject to CITES regulations when exporting this item outside the EU, see clause 13.
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