Ludwig Deutsch

Sale: Sotheby's, New York, 29 May 1980, lot 107
The Fine Arts Society, London
Acquired from the above by the present owner circa 1981

Martina Haja and Günther Wimmer, Les Orientalistes des Ecoles allemande et autrichienne, Paris, 2000, p. 200, illustrated

The following condition report has been prepared by Hamish Dewar Ltd., 13 and 14 Mason's Yard, St James', London, SW1Y 6BU:UNCONDITIONAL AND WITHOUT PREJUDICEStructural ConditionThe artist's panel is providing an even and stable structural support.Paint SurfaceThe paint surface has an even varnish layer. There is a very small vertical abrasion within the varnish layers to the right of the decorative cabinet in the lower right quadrant of the composition.Inspection under ultra-violet light shows a slightly discoloured varnish layer. Inspection under ultra-violet light also shows a few tiny spots of retouching to the left and right of the waist of the central figure, and a further tiny spot of retouching within the shadow of the doorway above the central figure's head.SummaryThe painting would therefore appear to be in very good and stable condition and would respond well to cleaning, restoration and revarnishing.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Morning Prayers is a powerful and noble evocation of the rites and religion of the Muslim world. Two men are absorbed in prayerful contemplation, facing towards the mosque's mihrab indicating the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca. The main figure has discarded his cloak and shoes to commence the raka'ah, or prayer sequence. The artist's respect for the unfolding scene is matched by his rigorous and painstakingly refined technique.

The minute detail and photographic realism of the painting were founded in part on Deutsch's rigorous academic training in Paris under history painter Jean-Paul Laurens, and in part on the extensive collection of photographs and objects he amassed in Cairo, which he synthesised into his paintings on his return to Paris. From the mother-of-pearl inlaid kursi cabinets and Syrian pendant lamp to the Persian Sauj Bulagh rug with its mina-khani blossom and trellis design, the myriad of textures and surfaces, hard and soft, are observed with exacting verisimilitude. Which mosque forms the setting of the work is not known; besides the Ptolmaic granite pillar, clues are, it seems deliberately, scant. For the lack of architectural detail and the simplicity of the backdrop serve to focus the viewer on the straightforward and unencumbered prayer that so captivated Deutsch and other Orientalist painters used to Christian worship with its attendant clergy and accoutrements.    

Deutsch trained at the Akademie der bildenden Künste in Vienna but settled in Paris in 1878, where he honed his highly academic style. He first travelled to Egypt in 1883, from which time on Orientalist subjects dominated his oeuvre, fuelled by demand from avid collectors. Deutsch's Egyptian subjects met with huge critical acclaim: in 1900 he was awarded a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle, and later the Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur.