MARK OF M. FRAY, LATE 19TH CENTURY

The allure of the Middle East captured the imaginations of European artists following Napoleon's invasion of Egypt in 1798. Artists such as Ingres, Delacriox, Gerome and Descamps visited the regions throughout the first half of the 19th century, bringing images of harems and other genre scenes back with them. The present lot links Western and Middle Eastern smoking cultures with its depiction of the hookah.