Rudolf Ernst

Purchased by the present owner in 2000

The panel is flat and even and in excellent condition. There are some very minor scattered spots and fine lines of retouching visible under ultraviolet light. Apart from some minor frame rubbing along the edges, this work is in good condition and ready to hang. Held in an elaborate wide plaster and wood frame.
"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."

In this work, a guard and his regal Bengal tiger stand before an imposing entrance. What or whom they guard - a palace, a temple, or a harem - is left to the viewer's imagination, adding a narrative tension to the highly decorative composition. The painting shows off Ernst's flair at rendering a variety of sumptuous surfaces, the silky textiles of the guard's robe and of the tiger's shiny coat contrasting with the materiality of the heavy architecture.

Rudolf Ernst was infused with a passion for the East, and was one of the artists to travel to Granada, Morocco and Tunis, and later on to Constantinople, Egypt and beyond to see at first hand the subjects he loved to paint. He settled in Paris in 1876, along with fellow Austrian Orientalist Ludwig Deutsch, and became a regular exhibitor at the Paris Salon. From the mid-1880s he focused exclusively on Orientalist scenes, which brought him great acclaim from American and European collectors alike.