RUDOLF ERNST | Tending the Lamp

Private collection, USA

The panel is slightly bowed convexly along the horizontal edges. There are seven vertical hairline splits (circa 3cm each) along the upper edge, as visible in the catalogue illustration. Although also visible on the reverse of the panel, these are not visually distracting and appear to be stable. Ultra-violet light reveals a few scattered spots of in-painting notably in the above mentioned splits, in the background under the arch and in the tiles between the lamp and the figure. The figure itself seems untouched. Overall, this work is in good condition and ready to hang. Presented in a decorative gilt frame. Colours are somewhat less red and deeper in reality than in the catalogue illustration.
"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 richly finished work, a turbaned man pours oil into glass receptacles suspended from an ornate nineteenth-century Syrian bronze lantern stand. The fuel in the glasses can then be lit using wicks to create a circle of lights. The figure is framed by blue and green Moroccan octagonal tiles and inlaid marble wall panels in a Moorish setting. A veritable tapestry in pattern and texture, the composition is a cumulative memory of Ernst's disparate travels in the Orient. After studying at the Vienna Academy, he travelled to Rome and, in the 1880s, to Andalusia, Morocco, and Tunisia. Later travels would take him to Egypt and, in 1890, to Turkey. In 1876, Ernst settled in France, exhibiting regularly at the Salon de la Société des artistes français and eventually taking French nationality. After starting out painting portraits and genre scenes, from 1885 he turned exclusively to painting Orientalist subjects, which he worked up from the sketches, photographs, souvenirs, and memories accumulated during his travels. Almost all his paintings were executed in his studio in Paris, which he decorated in an eclectic Eastern style, and in which he would paint wearing a taboosh, the better to transport himself mentally into the world created in his panels and canvases.