Interior of Harem or Moorish woman leaving the bath in the seraglio

In the second half of the 19th century an Orientalist vogue swept many French artists across the Mediterranean. Chassériau was one of these. In 1846, fourteen years after Delacroix’s stay in Morocco, he responded to an invitation from the last Caliph of Constantine and embarked for Algeria. There he experienced a revelation: "The country is very beautiful and very novel", he said. "I am living in the Arabian Nights. I think I can really use this for my art."

Indeed, Algeria provided Chassériau with much more than an exotic interlude. As for Delacroix, it was here that he was to renew his artistic vision. It was here that he would find timeless traces of the supposed "pioneer races", from the time of both Homer and the Bible. From here he would bring back the sketchbooks and notes that were to feed his inspiration.

In this Interior of a Harem dated 1854, the 35-year-old artist mixes Orientalist elements with more personal memories. Observe the central figure in the painting. Her outlines recall those of antique classical sculpture, while her features suggest, not those of an "Oriental" woman, but rather of the actress and demi-mondaine Alice Ozy, with whom the painter had a passionate, stormy relationship.      

Ultimately all of Chassériau's work, colour, brightness, brush strokes and inspiration, was marked by the unforgettable and indelible experience of his trip to the "Orient".