Jean-Léon Gérôme (French, 1824-1904)

Gerald Ackerman relates the present drawing to the dancing Bashi-Bazouk to the left of the finished oil La danse pyrrique (lost) that was exhibited in the Universal Exhibition of 1878 (fig 1). The painting, sold by the dealers Boussod, Valadon et Cie (Gerome's dealer) to the New York dealer Schausin 1885, is known from a Goupil photogravure of 1883. For a drawn work, Ackerman notes that, compared to many of Gerome's stock drawings this drawing reveals a high degree of finish which indicates it may have been for presentation or sale.

(fig. 1) J. L. Gèrôme, La dance pyrrique, 1878.


We are grateful to Gerald Ackerman for his authentication of this work.