Cairo Wedding Procession, an Orientalist Painting by Narcisse Berchère

#18210: Cairo Wedding Procession, an Orientalist Painting by Narcisse Berchère
By Berchère, Narcisse (French, 1819-1891)
French, 19th century
Canvas: height 64cm, width 40cm, depth 2cm
Frame: height 75cm, width 51cm, depth 5cm
This richly detailed oil painting depicts a wedding procession making its way down a narrow, sunlit street in Cairo, led by musicians beating a drum and playing pipes. It is a fine example of the Orientalist painting that flourished in France in the second half of the 19th century, as artists travelled through Egypt and the Near East and returned with vivid records of its architecture, light and daily life. The work is by the French painter Narcisse Berchère (1819–1891), who first visited Egypt in the 1850s and returned several times, travelling in the company of Gérôme, Belly and Fromentin; it is signed at the lower right.
The composition looks down a steep, canyon-like street, framed by tall houses whose upper storeys are enclosed by projecting mashrabiya screens of latticed wood. On the right, a leafy tree spills over a wall, and beyond it the slender shaft of a minaret rises against a clear blue sky enlivened by wheeling birds. Sunlight falls on the pale stonework of a mosque and a balconied building in the middle distance, while the flanking shopfronts fall into cool shadow.
The street below is thronged with figures. At the front, a small band of musicians in coloured robes and turbans leads the way, one striking a drum, others sounding pipes. Behind them presses a dense crowd gathered around a red canopy and banners, the bridal party at the heart of the celebration, while shopkeepers, veiled women and children look on from the margins. Berchère captures the movement and colour of the scene with a lively, atmospheric touch, contrasting the bright accents of red and white against the warm ochres and browns of the architecture.
The painting is signed 'Berchère' at the lower right. A richly atmospheric scene of Cairo street life by a leading French Orientalist, this work would make a striking addition to any collection.
 $ 52,500