Rudolf Ernst (Austrian, 1854-1932) Prayer in the mosque, circa 1890 Oil on panel 16-1/4 x 9-7/8 inches (41.3 x 25.1 cm) Signed lower right: R. Ernst. PROVENANCE: Marshall Field & Company, Chicago, Illinois; Susan Gerwig Penney, Seattle, Washington, acquired from the above; Todd Gerwig, Denton, Texas, by descent from the above, 2018; Private collection, Dallas, Texas, acquired from the above, 2024. After completing his studies at the Vienna Academy in 1874, Rudolf Ernst travelled to Rome, and, later, Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Turkey—using sketches, photographs, and souvenirs from these travels to paint Orientalist works. Composed in his Paris studio (the artist moved to France in 1876), Ernst's detailed Orientalist compositions depicted diverse scenes of Arab and Ottoman customs, notably, as with Prayer in the mosque, the rituals of religious life. This richly detailed work illustrates Ernst's career-long fascination with textures, surfaces, and the effects of light, influenced by the academic methods of fellow Orientalist artist Jean-Léon Gérôme. In the present work, finely rendered materials and architectural detail are on bold display: a cool veined marble column is contrasted with warm, jewel-toned fabrics, while a shaft of light filtered through stained glass illuminates blue and white tiles, their intricate detail pointing toward the artist's self-taught skill of faïence. Works like Prayer in the mosque earned Ernst international fame and, decades after its execution, continued to attract attention. Indeed, Prayer in the mosque was last recorded sold at Marshall Field & Company, Chicago, the department store, a significant source of important international art for American collectors throughout the early 20th century. HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice