Artwork
Cafe House, Cairo (Casting Bullets)
Cafe House, Cairo (Casting Bullets) is an oil painting by the Orientalist artist Jean Léon Gérôme. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Cafe House, Cairo (Casting Bullets) is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for Jean Léon Gérôme's Orientalist compositions.
Cafe House, Cairo (Casting Bullets) is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for Jean Léon Gérôme's Orientalist compositions. The work is relatively modest in scale, measuring 54.6 cm in height by 62.9 cm in width, consistent with the intimate genre scenes for which Gérôme became known. The painting falls within his broader Orientalist practice, in which finely controlled brushwork and precise rendering of figures, textiles, and interior settings are used to construct a detailed tableau of Cairo life.
The horizontal format and the depicted interplay of soldiers, women, and musicians reflect Gérôme's characteristic compositional approach of arranging multiple figures within a tightly observed architectural interior.
History & Provenance
Jean-Léon Gérôme created the oil-on-canvas painting Cafe House, Cairo (Casting Bullets) in 1880. The work measures 54.6 by 62.9 centimeters and depicts an Orientalist scene featuring soldiers, women, men, and musical instruments. While the specific commission details are not recorded in the available documentation, the painting was completed in 1880 and is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The artwork remains a significant example of Gérôme's late 19th-century output, characterized by his detailed rendering of Middle Eastern subjects. No further information regarding its immediate ownership history prior to its acquisition by the museum is provided in the current sources.
The painting Café House, Cairo (Casting Bullets) (1880) by Jean-Léon Gérôme is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is recorded under accession number 1975.1.196. The work entered the museum’s collection in 1975, as documented in the institution’s records. It has not been widely exhibited; however, the painting is included in the Metropolitan Museum’s public online collection database, which provides access to its basic cataloging and image.
Overview
Jean Léon Gérôme's oil painting, Cafe House, Cairo (Casting Bullets), completed in 1890, captures a vibrant scene of daily life. This work exemplifies the Orientalist style, a significant movement in 19th-century art. The painting is currently housed in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it offers a glimpse into Gérôme's detailed and often dramatic representations of North African and Middle Eastern subjects.
Subject & Meaning
The artwork portrays a lively interior, likely a cafe, filled with a diverse group of figures. Men in colorful attire engage in various activities, including one near a fire pit, possibly involved in the "casting bullets" referenced in the title. A woman in a blue headscarf dances, while others play musical instruments or rest.
The composition blends moments of intense action with quieter contemplation, creating a dynamic yet intimate portrayal of an imagined everyday scene.
Context
As a prominent figure in Orientalist painting, Gérôme frequently depicted scenes from North Africa and the Middle East. This artistic movement often presented idealized or romanticized visions of these regions for Western audiences. Cafe House, Cairo (Casting Bullets) aligns with this tradition, offering a carefully constructed view of a foreign culture. Such works contributed to a broader cultural fascination with the "Orient" during the 19th century.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Léon Gérôme was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as academicism.
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