Large Orientalist Painting at David Gate, Jerusalem by Charles Verlat

#18209: Large Orientalist Painting at David Gate, Jerusalem by Charles Verlat
By Verlat, Charles (Belgian, 1824–1890)
Belgian, late 19th century
Canvas: height 89cm, width 137cm, depth 2cm
Frame: height 132cm, width 180cm, depth 14cm

This oil on canvas by the Belgian painter Charles Verlat depicts a quiet moment of everyday life at a gateway in Jerusalem, traditionally identified as the David Gate. At the centre, a boy in a red cap and striped waistcoat crouches on a step, lifting a slice of watermelon to his mouth, while a girl wrapped in a dark blue robe leans over him, resting a hand on his shoulder. Beside them stands a grey donkey, its worn leather pack-saddle and harness closely observed.
Behind the figures rises the honey-coloured stonework of the gate, its pointed archway crowned by a crenellated parapet sprouting wild plants, with a squat tower and further battlemented walls beyond. Through the arch, a robed figure in a red cap looks on, and at the left, half-veiled women and a seated man occupy the sunlit square. The composition is worked in the high-contrast light of the region, the pale masonry set against a deep blue sky, the shadows warm and transparent.
The handling combines precise architectural and ethnographic detail with an unsentimental treatment of the two young figures, while the donkey reflects the artist's reputation as an animal painter.
Charles Verlat (Belgian, 1824–1890) trained under Nicaise De Keyser in Antwerp and worked in Paris between 1850 and 1879 before becoming head of the Academy at Weimar. From 1874 to 1876 he lived in Jerusalem, painting the Orientalist and Biblical subjects for which he became known; the present work dates from this period. He returned to Antwerp as director of the Academy, a post he held until his death in 1890, numbering Vincent van Gogh among his pupils. He won a gold medal at the Paris World's Fair of 1855, and his work is held in the museums of Antwerp, Brussels, Amsterdam and Weimar, among others.
Oil on canvas, signed and inscribed 'Charles Verlat Jerusalem' lower left, presented in a giltwood frame. The reverse bears the label of the Brussels gilders and framers Maison J. Bonnefoy & Cie.
 $112,500