Sotheby's Auctions highlights four paintings in a special exhibition in Dubai, and returns to the collection of works that will be auctioned in the British capital, London, at the end of this month.

According to the head of the 19th century European Department of Sotheby's, Claude Benning, the four works belong to the Najd Group.

Benning told Emirates Today that "the origins of the Najd Collector's Mosque belong to the Arabian Peninsula, as he was one of the first to realize the importance of this type of art, and collected it in a meaningful way in the eighties of the last century."

He added, “Since then, the art of orientalism has entered the collectors’ market in the region, through collectors and museums as well. The interesting thing about these paintings is that they are receiving attention in various parts of the world, and not only in the areas where they were painted, especially in the Islamic world, to reach To Southeast Asia. ”

Benning pointed out that the exhibition in Dubai presents three artists: they are Austrian, and two French, each with a different aesthetic in his work, the Austrian Rudolf Ernst is one of the first Orientalists, while the French painter Charles Tudor Freer is considered one of the most prominent creators who enjoy a strict academic style. In contrast, the painting of French orientalist Victor Hagit is characterized by the observation of panoramic landscapes, which fade in the stunning desert light.

He noted that the paintings of Charles Theodore Frere distinguished that they exude authenticity, can only come from a direct experience of the actual culture and scenes he faced, as he lived a period of his life in Cairo, and transferred many scenes that belong to daily life and realism, and this is what distinguishes the work of orientalists, and is considered The basis for its aesthetics.

musicologist

The painting by Rudolf Ernst, entitled "The Musician", signed and dated "R. Ernest. 84", is from the collection of paintings presented by the artist, titled "Music." The approximate price ranges between 30 and 50 thousand pounds. In this work, which belongs to Orientalist art, Ernst presents the Nubian or Sudanese man who plays a harp, a type of Nubian guitars that was popular at the time. The painting inspires the artist to observe the scenery beautifully, with great attention to detail, observing the Mashrabiya window and carving the engineering wood in the door panel.

A family crossing the desert

The collection, presented by Sotheby's in Dubai, includes a work by the French artist Charles Tudor Freer, entitled "A Family Crossing the Desert", through which he provides a realistic view of the situation of a family crossing the desert, and it appears as if it is in a state of transition or migration. The artist monitors the scenery of desert and beauty, which was the main means of transportation at the time, with the hawj inside which the family sits, while there were men pulling beauty and helping the family to cross it. The estimated price of the signed plate, "T. Freer", ranges between 8,000 and 12,000 pounds.

Hawks

The work of the French artist, Victor Haget, (Falconers), whose estimated price ranges between 20 and 30 thousand pounds, provides a realistic view of the life of the falconers, and how they hunt their birds. He presented the work with oil paintings, and his strikes are distinguished by the fact that they carry a lot of courage and freedom, as Hagit's artistic career was characterized by his skill in drawing horses and falcons, and many scenes of hunting, which belong to North Africa. And the scene he monitors has many dimensions in the division of colors, as it gives the painting the dimension in the overcast sky, letting the movement control the lower part of the work.

Hookah smoker

Another work by Rudolf Ernst entitled "The Hookah Smoker", in which the artist presents the man who smokes the hookah in observing daily life scenes in the east. The panel bears the portrait of the man smoking through the pipes of the decorative hookah, while beside him he depicted a wonderful window frame made of turquoise tiles. The artist is distinguished by his work on the aesthetics of the decoration that is guaranteed by his paintings, as he retained a special charm for ceramics, having mastered the art of making ceramics. The estimated price ranges between 30 and 50 thousand pounds.

Claude Benning:

• «What is interesting about these paintings is that they are receiving attention in various parts of the world, and not only in the areas where they were painted.»