Das Bad
circa 1880-1885
Jean-Léon Gérôme invites us into a lush, tiled hammam that feels more like a theatrical stage set than a real bathroom. A pale bather sits vulnerably on a wooden crate while an attendant, draped in colorful, exoticized fabrics and jewelry, scrubs her back. The walls are covered in intricate blue and turquoise tiles with Arabic calligraphy, showing off the Academic artist's famous obsession with archaeological detail. This scene is a classic example of Orientalism; Gérôme likely never witnessed this private moment, but constructed it in his studio to satisfy 19th-century Europe's fascination with the 'exotic' Middle East.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
- Material
- Oil paint and canvas
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