Arthur von Ferraris

Arthur Tooth & Sons, London

Mrs James Todd of Far Farington, Chipperfield, Herts.
The Cooling Galleries, London

Acquired by the family of the present owner circa 1940; thence by descent

This condition report has been provided by Hamish Dewar, Hamish Dewar Ltd. Fine Art Conservation, 14 Masons Yard, Duke Street, St James's, London SW1Y 6BU. Structural Condition The artist's panel is providing a stable and secure structural support. Paint Surface The paint surface has a discoloured varnish layer and should respond extremely well to cleaning and revarnishing. I would be very confident of a considerable colour change and a great improvement in the overall appearance. There are a number of surface deposits and drips on the paint surface which would be removed during the cleaning process. Only the most minimal spots and lines of retouching are visible under ultra-violet light. Summary The painting therefore appears to be in excellent and stable condition with the potential to be transformed by cleaning and revarnishing.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The allure of the East captivated Ferraris' imagination. Indeed, the Orient was a major preoccupation among nineteenth-century artists. Ferraris approached the subject with fervour and admiration, and his oeuvre is testament to this preoccupation. While many nineteenth-century artists remained armchair Orientalists, depicting an imaginary Orient and reaping the benefits of public demand for such work, others travelled extensively to the Near, Middle and Far East and thereby greatly expanded their pictorial vocabulary. While the extent of Ferrari's travels is not known, his subject matter suggests that he visited Egypt, Turkey and North Africa.

Reading the Koran epitomizes Ferraris' academic compositions of the Near East. The painstaking attention devoted to the depiction of exotic features, such as the Iznic tiles in the background and the vibrantly coloured robe of the seated man, clearly show the influence of earlier Salon Orientalists, above all Ferraris' teacher, Jean-Léon Gérôme. Gérôme, an extraordinary master of the genre, travelled to the East no less than seven times, and taught generations of artists how best to document the vivid colours and strong light, architecture, customs and costumes of the Orient.

It may have been Gérôme who encouraged Ferraris to travel to Cairo – the setting for the present work – and to adopt a similar, polished realist style. Ferraris travelled to Cairo in the winter of 1885 in the company of his friend and fellow Orientalist painter par excellence Ludwig Deutsch. It is likely that Deutsch's many depictions of daily life in Egypt had some influence on Ferraris choice of subject matter. Indeed, images of Cairo and its inhabitants were to become Ferraris' most celebrated and sought after compositions (fig. 1).

Reading the Koran exemplifies Ferraris' masterful rendering of exacting photographic detail, where one can discern each crease in the fabric and perceive every individual crack to the wall tiles. The vivid colours and textures are electrifying and the powerful diffused light engenders an overall glow to the painting. The attention Ferraris paid to detail and the virtuosity of his brushwork is particularly evident in the depiction of the seated man and the minutely rendered architectural detail of the interior. Nonetheless, the setting of the present work is humble: the tiled wall in the background is crumbling and the only visible furnishings are the wooden chair and rug the man is seated on. This absence of accoutrements serves to highlight the quiet, spiritual and meditative atmosphere of Reading the Koran.

Fig. 1: Arthur von Ferraris, Driving a Bargain, Cairo, sold: Sotheby's, New York, 18 April 2008, lot 174