Gérôme first journeyed to Egypt in 1856 and returned a further six times over the following decades.[1] These trips laid the foundation for a vast archive of figure studies and architectural sketches that the artist would draw upon throughout his career. The material gathered during his travels fed directly into the meticulously composed paintings that Gérôme produced in his Paris studio, often months or even years later. 'I did not know beforehand what I was going to do with these studies… brought back from travels,' he later wrote. 'It is only later that ideas come: there is an unconscious labour in the brain and, suddenly, they are born!'[2]

 

Frédéric Masson, who accompanied Gérôme on at least one of these trips, recalled that the artist worked every evening, sketching until nightfall.[3] His studies accumulated steadily over the years, forming a personal visual reserve that he continued to draw upon across decades. Most of the drawings in this group are undated, and like much of Gérôme's preparatory work, cannot be linked with certainty to a specific journey. The paintings to which they relate span a period from 1867 to 1887.

Though these drawings were made rapidly and on the spot, they reveal Gérôme's exceptional observational acuity. His rigorous academic training enabled him to maintain anatomical precision and compositional clarity even in the most improvised circumstances. Often bordering on ethnographic documentation, these studies reflect his desire to record costume and gesture with fidelity. Yet they are far from neutral or incidental. Even the most spontaneous sheets display a strong sense of structure and visual intent. They feel carefully framed, informed by the same instinct for composition and narrative that shaped Gérôme's finished paintings.

 

As Théophile Gautier observed, Gérôme's draughtsmanship was 'refined, elegant, precise, and yet full of style'.[4] Nowhere is that more evident than in this evocative group of drawings.

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