Lot 27: Jean Discart (French, 1856-1944)

Jean Discart (French, 1856-1944)
The Harem guard
signed, inscribed and dated 'J. DISCART 1885 Paris' (lower right)
oil on panel
13 x 9 3/8 in. (33 x 23.8 cm.)

M. Haja and G. Wimmer, Les Orientalistes des Ecoles Allemande et Autrichienne, Paris, 2000, p. 219 (illustrated).

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.
Very little is known about this remarkably talented artist whose work so beautifully translates the finest characteristics of the Orient. The present lot mirrors the finesse and lifelike quality of the proud guardsmen depicted by fellow masters of the genre such as Ludwig Deutsch and Rudolf Ernst. The artist's keen eye for detail is omnipresent in this lot. His painstaken rendition of every fold of the harem guard's costume, the richness of the intricately decorated arms, the noble features and the subtle variation in tones and textures of the background bring together a composition which can only be considered a superb example of a true Orientalist artist's work.