Café Maison, Le Caire (1884)

Gérôme, Jean-Léon (1824-1904)

Café Maison, Le Caire; la coulée balles (Cafe House, Cairo; Casting Bullets)
1884 or earlier
Oil on canvas, 54.6 x 62.9 cm
Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York

While two mercenaries cast bullets and a third, seated behind them, seems to be inspecting one, others engage in revelry and a man and woman converse. Despite these apparent incongruities, the meticulous painting technique renders the scene convincing. Gérôme traveled to Egypt many times from 1855 onward. His recollections of these journeys, together with objects that he brought back to Paris, became ingredients for scenes which today might be regarded as historical fictions. The title of this work derives from the stock book of Gérôme’s dealer, who bought the painting from the artist in 1884, presumably soon after he finished it. (MET)

See also:

• Cairo (Egypt)