Theodoros Ralli

Maria Katsanaki, Le paintre Theodore Ralli (1852-1909) et son oeuvre, Paris, 2007, vol. I, pp. 126 & 140-141, vol. II, no. 44, illustrated

The present work shows Ralli at the apex of his powers in his depictions of Orientalist subjects. This large-scale genre scene portrays an afternoon's amusements in a near-eastern harem. The full glory of Ralli's discerning eye for detail is evident: the vibrant colours, rich and varied textures and quality of shadow and light culminate to describe a scene of opulence and exoticism. Unadulterated sensuality is described in the sheen of rainbow-hued silks, the iridescent glow of mother-of-pearl inlay and the sharp-edged motifs repeated on cool tiles.

The women of the harem lie languorously along richly-patterned and multicoloured carpets and tiles, idly sitting by as two of their group play an intricate game with marionettes. Ralli introduces an element of light irony in that these cosseted women, sheltered from the outer world and real-life conflict, and guarded by their silent and observant eunuch, play with their male puppets at fighting with swords.

While many of the most celebrated European artists painting Orientalist subjects created images drawn from second-hand sources and their own imaginations, Ralli was intimately familiar with the culture, architecture and decoration of North Africa and the Middle East, and paintings such as the present work display his breadth of knowledge. From the mid-1880s until 1904, Ralli spent the entire winter season in his studio in Cairo; though based in France and later acquiring French nationality, the artist travelled extensively in Greece and the Middle East throughout his life.

Ralli's form of academic realism was honed under the great French Orientalist painter Jean-Léon Gérôme, with whom he studied until 1880. Marionettes in the Harem was exhibited in 1881 at the Royal Academy in London, a city that Ralli was familiar with after working there for a brief period at the commercial house of Ralli-Mavroyannis, before his move to Paris.