Lot 26: Raphael von Ambros (Austrian, 1855-1895) By the well 16 1/8 x 12in (41 x 30.5cm)

Raphael von Ambros (Austrian, 1855-1895)
By the well signed and dated 'R Ambros. PARIS 1888' (upper right)oil on panel16 1/8 x 12in (41 x 30.5cm)

Provenance: with Mathaf Gallery, London;Acquired from the above by the present owner, 1992.Although born in Prague, Raphael von Ambros is considered one of the most significant Austrian Orientalist painters. Like his contemporaries Rudolf Ernst and Ludwig Deutsch, he was a student of Hans Makart at the Vienna Academy and later became known far beyond his city's borders for his masterful scenes of everyday life in Cairo. Following Deutsch and Ernst, the artist settled in Paris where he found great success and a ready market for his Egyptian subjects. His compositions are painted with masterful and realistic details, elevating and incorporating these first-hand vignettes of daily life into unforgettable mementos of a foreign and fascinating world.The man in the present painting is captured during a moment of rest from the arduous task of carrying water through the dusty city. He rolls his cigarette with meditative concentration, his ewers at his feet, waiting to be filled and once again continue their task of providing water to the thirsty city dwellers. The man's simple clothing is rendered in a striking blue and accentuated with a delicate and glistening gold necklace that echoes the whiteness of the turban and the waist shawl.