A Rare Orientalist Portrait of a Nubian Guard, by Edmund Walenta, 19th Century

A Rare Orientalist Portrait of a Nubian Guard, by Edmund Walenta, 19th Century.

Oil on canvas.

Extremely high quality and attractive orientalist painting by American / German artist Edmund Walenta. In the style of Ludwig Deutsch and Jean Leone Gerome.

The viewer is struck, by the Nubian's ambiguous stance: his stoic posture and eyes in contemplation belie a gentler side to his personality. His station demands unfettered masculinity, yet he appears authentically human.

Signed Lower Right.

Provenance:
Mussallem Galleries, Florida ($89,000)
Private Maryland collection.

Canvas: 36.5 high x 23" wide
Frame: 42.5" high x 30" wide

A descendant of the ancient Nubian kingdom that had once ruled much of Northern Africa, the Mamluk guard in the present painting stands magisterially. His firm gaze and confident stance present a formidable barrier to the secret world.

In Orientalist art, Images of standing guards are signature subjects. These superlative portrayals, offer a pristine palette and incredible attention to detail. Every vein in the Nubian guard's arm, every link in his chain mail, is observed minutely. To achieve this degree of verisimilitude, artists relied not only on a magnifying glass but also, on photographs. .

A painting like this, offering the illusion of a photographic snap-shot, took weeks or perhaps months to complete. While crafting the work, the artist expresses his sitter's personality, mien, and anatomy, as well as the setting with greater depth. The result, which photography cannot emulate, is an enhanced reality that allows a narrative tension to unfold through the layers of thought and observation that underpin it.

These layers of complexity, superimposed upon the artists exceptional draughtsmanship and palette, made this subject so compelling to audiences in the nineteenth century, and continue to beguile collectors today.

Very good condition overall, no damages noted. Craquelure throughout. Ready to hang.