Joaquín Agrasot y Juan (SPANISH, 1837-1919)

During the nineteenth century an increasing number of steamships and improved railway networks made travelling to the East more appealing and accessible to a large number of people from various countries. Trained in the Valencian Academy and a scholar of Roman classical works, Joaquín Agrasot was attracted to the colourful life of the Orient and sought to capture the atmosphere of this exotic place with great detail. The present work is a superb example of this artist's ability to convey an intimate scene set within a lush interior, meant to impress the viewer with its dramatic light and carefully rendered figures.