A Sultan with a Tiger

Artist: Rudolf Ernst
Title: A Sultan with a Tiger
Signed 'R. Ernst' lower right
Medium: Oil on Panel
Size: 39.5x31.25 in (100.4x80cm)
Austrian Orientalist, 1854-1932

A Sultan with a Tiger is one of several paintings loosely inspired by India (a country Ernst never visited), in which the artist reveals the extent to which he indulged his own and his audience's imaginations. It combines textiles from Europe and Asia, sculpture from India, tiles from North Africa, a modern Cairo-ware lamp, with a Nubian figure in Islamic dress. Typically, the picture includes just a single, exotically dressed figure, who is given added drama not only by the tiger, but also by Ernst's favorite compositional technique of depicting his subjects from a low perspective, heightening their grandeur and presence.
Source: Artfact

Portrait of an Arab Nobleman

Portrait of an Arab Nobleman


Title: Portrait of an Arab Nobleman
Signed 'R. Ernst'lower right
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 97.5x51.5 in (247 x 131 cm.)
Austrian Orientalist

Ernst is best known for his Orientalist pictures which portray merchants, guards and pashas of the Ottoman Empire. He did paint a small number of portraits, which were commissioned during his travels in Turkey in 1890.

(On this same trip, Ernst became fascinated by faience - a technique he would himself attempt). Noteworthy too are a series of pictures of Arab sentinels and other protectors, which feature elaborately costumed male figures standing guard at entrances to marble palaces, harems, and other sacrosanct spaces. Though the entire Austrian school of Orientalists seems to have had a fascination for such scenes, it was Ernst (and his friend Deutsch) who virtually monopolized the field and captured the public's attention. Indeed, even so popular a painter as Jean-Léon Gérôme could not compete with Ernst's barrage of textures and surfaces, and thanks to the liberal use of photographs, his exquisitely rendered and highly informative records of specific weapons and garments.

Though it can be considered a variation on the sentinel theme, the present picture is remarkable in Ernst's oeuvre - and not merely because of its size, which makes it one of Ernst's largest painted canvases. The bearded sitter has long been believed to be the Algerian leader and Arab folk hero Abd el Kadir (1808-1883), a figure well known to European audiences by the middle of the nineteenth century. Abd el Kadir's absolute resistance of foreign domination, driven in the name of his Islamic faith, had become a matter of international interest. In 1845, Horace Vernet (1780-1863) had exhibited his extraordinary The Taking of the Smalah of Abd el Kadir, a picture commissioned by the King in order to both reflect France's agenda of total conquest and to justify its continued outlay of revenue in Algeria. More specifically, and as the exhaustive livret described, the panoramic work depicts the surrender of Abd el Kadir to the Duke of Aumale, the son of Louis-Philippe, and 600 of his French horsemen. Of the 5000 Algerians who took part in the battle, 300 were killed and 3000 taken prisoner, including el Kadir himself.
After a period of imprisonment in France between 1847-1852, Abd el Kadir relocated to Damascus. There, in 1860, he was credited with saving the lives of an estimated 12,000 Christians, including the French consul and his staff, during a massacre instigated by local Ottoman officials. In an ironic historical twist, the French government conferred on their former nemesis the Grand Cordon of the Legion of Honour, and additional honours followed from a number of other European governments. Historical accounts remember Abd el Kadir first for his military exploits, but also for his immaculate white burnous, his friendship with many prominent European travellers, most notably Isabel and Richard Burton, and for his later poetry and scholarly and theological pursuits.
With the end of Abd el Kadir's self-proclaimed holy war against France in 1843, artists began to travel more frequently to Algeria. (Eugène Fromentin may be considered the first major European artist to venture to the region for an extended period of time.) While there is no record of a meeting between Abd el Kadir and Ernst, certain details of the artist's work seem to dovetail with this celebrated figure. The placement of the man's hand on the sword, for example, recalls Abd el Kadir's military accomplishments, while the open text below suggests his famed religious fervor. Ernst's care in choosing a startlingly white paint to render the man's robes, moreover, might be meant as a reminder of Abd el Kadir's distinctive dress. And certainly, compelling comparisons can be made between this bearded visage and that portrayed in other contemporary visual documents. But there are other details, as well, which suggest a far different interpretation: the ornate faience tiles in the background point to Ernst's own interests at the time, and the carved Koran stand, set among other exotic still life objects, is a motif that reappears in others of his paintings. Indeed, and despite the intriguing attribution regarding the identity of the sitter, this painting might be read as a reflection of Ernst's own career, and a cumulative memory of disparate Middle-Eastern travels.

Source: Emily Weeks wrote this essay for catalog entry for Artfact.

The Guard of the Harem

The Guard of the Harem

Artist: Rudolf Ernst
Title: The Guard of the Harem
Signed 'R. Ernst'lower right
Medium: Oil on Panel
Size: 24x19 in (61 x 48cm)
Austrian Orientalist

Returning Home

Returning Home

Artist: Rudolf Ernst
Title: Returning Home
Signed:
Medium: Watercolor and pencil on paper
Size: 17 7/8 x 12 1/8 inches (45.7 x 31.1 cm)
Austrian Orientalist

Romantic Interlude

Artist: Rudolf Ernst
Title: Romantic Interlude
Signed lower right 'R.Ernst'
Medium: Oil on Panel
Size: 30x25.25 in (76x64cm)
Austrian Orientalist (1854-1932)

Although Rudolf Ernst traveled several times to North Africa and Spain, harem scenes as this one would be completely painted from imagination. Access to harems was not granted to foreigners and scenes such as this would have never been witnessed by them. It is know though that Ernst did bring home props from his travels and that he decorated his Paris studio with them. On a side note Ernst even wore a taboosh, while painting, to feel more in an 'Eastern' mood.

The Meal

The Meal

Artist: Rudolph Ernst
Title: The Meal
Signed:
Medium:
Size:
Austrian Orientalist

An Elegant Chieftain in his Palace

An Elegant Chieftain in his Palace
Signed 'R. Ernst' (lower left)
Medium: Oil on panel
Size: 22 x 18 in. (55.8 x 45.6 cm.)
Austrian Orientalist

His exceptional mastery lies in his ability to combine layers of genuine artifacts in order to create outstanding fantasy. For instance, details like the 18th Century Ottoman sash tied around the Chieftain's waist juxtaposed with blue and green Moroccan tiles exemplify Ernst's skill in visually cross-referencing the archetypal designs of various regions in order to enhance his compositions. In An Elegant Chieftain in his Palace, Ernst decorates a regal Hispano-Moresque palace interior based on the Alhambra with objects most likely included in his own personal collection (as they were repeatedly included in his Orientalist compositions).

Similar to Lewis and Gerome, Ernst gathered a sizeable group of artifacts from his travels to the Middle East such as tiles, lamps, pottery, silks, satins and kaftans. The 17th Century Persian blue and white pot, for example, was also depicted in Un ciseleur and in Outside the Selim Tribe, Constantinople, as well as in The Perfume Makers. Furthermore, the 19th Century Syrian bronze lamp to the right of the Chieftain was depicted in After the Prayer and in The Wedding Day. The red and gold embroidered silk Damask curtain was also used in Smoking the Hookah, and the Moorish octagonal blue and green tiles were illustrated in Reading the Koran. The 19th Century Syrian mother-of-pearl inlaid table placed to the Chieftain's left is also depicted in the Refreshment (Najd Collection). The Alhambra-style background is a favorite setting that Ernst repeatedly returned to in his ambitious compositions such as The Wedding Day as well as The Moorish Guard, The Alhambra.
Source: Artfact

Harem Girls

Harem Girls

Artist: Rudolf Ernst
Title: Harem Girls
Signed 'R.Ernst'
Medium: Watercolor
Size: 12 x 18 in
Austrian Orientalist