circa 1890
Rudolf Ernst had a lifelong fascination with Islamic and Moorish art, which informed his richly colored orientalist paintings. These demonstrate the Austrian artist’s extraordinary attention to detail and his mastery of texture and form.
Ernst was born in 1854 in Vienna. His father, Leopold Ernst, was a painter and architect. Encouraged by his father to pursue his interest in the arts, Ernst entered the Academy of Fine Arts at age 15. There, he studied academic art under Austrian painter and muralist August Eisenmenger and German classicist painter Anselm Feuerbach.
In 1874, Ernst left the Academy to study the Old Masters in Rome. After two years in Italy, he moved to Paris, where he met Turkish painter Osman Hamdi Bey, who inspired him to paint orientalist subjects.
In the following years, Ernst traveled extensively throughout Turkey, Morocco, Egypt and Moorish Spain, where he was enamored with Islamic art and culture. By 1885, his oeuvre consisted mainly of orientalist themes. Ernst’s favorite subjects included the harem — as shown in his figurative painting Spinning Yarn in the Harem (1886) — Hindu temples, Nubian guards and scenes of Islamic daily life, such as his watercolor portrait Man Smoking in Doorway.
In 1890, Ernst was introduced to the art of ceramic tile decorating while visiting Constantinople (today’s Istanbul). Back in Paris, he continued learning about ceramic art from ceramicist and glassmaker Léon Fargue. During his later years, Ernst constructed a ceramic studio where he made orientalist faience tiles. He also continued painting resplendent Eastern scenes from his Ottoman-style studio, often wearing a tarboosh hat while he worked.
Ernst participated in several notable exhibitions, including the Exposition Universelle held in Paris in 1889 and 1900. He won a bronze medal at the 1889 Exposition. He died in 1932.
Today, Ernst’s paintings can be found in the collections of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Dahesh Museum of Art in New York City.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of Rudolf Ernst’s paintings.
Moroccan Battle Scene, Orientalist Painting by Vincent Manago circa 1920
By Vincent Manago
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Vincent Manago, French (1880 - 1936) Title: Moroccan Battle Scene Year: circa 1920 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.l. Size: 26 in. x 36 in. (66.04 cm x 91.44 cm) Frame Size:...
Canvas, Oil
North African Orientalist Scene, Original Watercolor on Paper by Giulio Rosati
By Giulio Rosati
Located in Long Island City, NY
North African Orientalist Scene (Horseman and Nomadic Traders) Giulio Rosati, Italian (1857–1917) Date: circa 1880 Watercolor on Paper, signed lower righ...
Watercolor
Man on Persian Rug, Orientalist Bronze Sculpture by Franz Bergmann
By Franz Bergmann
Located in Long Island City, NY
Franz Bergmann, Austrian (1861 -1936) - Man on Persian Rug, Year: circa 1900, Medium: Cold painted Bronze sculpture, stamp signed on bottom, Size: 4.5 x 10 x 7 in. (11.43 x 25.4 x...
Bronze
Bedouin Woman in Purple, Modern Framed Oil Painting by Philippe Alfieri
By Philippe Alfieri
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Philippe Alfieri, Italian/American (1921 - 2009) Title: Bedouin Woman in Purple Year: circa 1970 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.r. Size: 36 x 48 in. (91.44 x 121.92 cm) Fram...
Canvas, Oil
Salt and Grain Sellers, Folk Art Oil on Canvas Painting by Jalal Gharbi
By Jalal Gharbi
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jalal Gharbi, Tunisian/American (1920 - 2005) - Salt and Grain Sellers, Year: circa 1970, Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed lower right, Size: 30 x 24 in. (76.2 x 60.96 cm), Descripti...
Canvas, Oil
St. Maxime, Impressionist Gouache Painting by Alexandre Sacha Garbell
By Alexandre Sacha Garbell
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Alexandre Sacha Garbell, French (1903 - 1970) Title: St. Maxime Year: circa 1958 Medium: Gouache on Paper, signed Image Size: 4 x 7 inches Frame Size: 12.5 x 15.25 inches
Gouache
The Prayer Rug 19th-century Orientalist Oil Painting on Canvas, Signed
By Addison Thomas Millar
Located in Jacksonville, FL
Description: Addison Thomas Millar (1860-1913) was an American painter known for his captivating depictions of scenes from daily life, as well as his exploration of landscapes and architectural subjects. Born in Warren, Ohio, Millar’s passion for art blossomed during his early education when he received painting lessons from local landscape artist John Bell. In his late teens, Millar’s talent gained recognition as he won three consecutive awards from The Youth’s Companion in their annual art contests. Encouraged by this success, his parents allowed him to travel to Cincinnati to study under genre painter De Scott Evans...
Canvas, Oil
Antique Female American Orientalist painting ARABS PRAYING outside MOSQUE
Located in New York, NY
Maria Martinetti was born in 1864 in Italy. Martinetti attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, studying under the Orientalist painter Gustavo Simoni. Martinetti exhibited works in...
Watercolor
The Rug Merchant, 19th Century Orientalist Oil Signed Oil Painting, 1879
By Carl Friedrich Heinrich Werner
Located in London, GB
Oil on canvas, signed and dated '1879' bottom right Image size: 38 x 59 1/2 inches (96.5 x 151 cm) Ornate Orientalist style gilt frame Carl Werner Carl Friedrich Heinrich Werner wa...
Canvas, Oil
Frederick Goodall British Artist 1822-1904) Oil on Canvas – Bedouin Oasis 1877
By Frederick Goodall R.A.
Located in Dublin, Ireland
This Large Oil on Canvas ‘Bedouin Oasis’ by Frederick Goodall (UK) 1822-1904 is a stunning painting and in the original gilt frame. Last quarter of the Nineteenth Century. Condition:...
Canvas
Antique Orientalist Oil on Board 'Desert Bedouin', by José Benito Ortega
By José Benito Ortega
Located in London, GB
Antique Orientalist Oil on Board 'Desert Bedouin', by Spanish Artist Ortega Spanish, early 20th Century Frame: Height 51cm, width 59cm, depth 2cm Board: Height 44cm, width 53cm, depth 0.5cm Fluidly painted, this vibrant oil on board depicts a dusty Orientalist scene. Four Bedouin ride camels alongside a flurry of goats, carrying lambs and hens in saddlebags. Other figures clothed in Middle Eastern garments walk with them, and the busy scene fades into a dusty, evening landscape. The colour palette is vibrant and hued with dusky pinks and oranges, giving the impression that these Bedouin are returning back to camp. The cropped composition also gives a dynamic feel to the picture: a glance into early 20th Century desert life. The present painting was created by Spanish artist José Benito Ortega...
Wood, Oil, Board
Orientalist Painting African Encampment at Gabès, Tunisia
Located in PARIS, FR
Gustave Nicolas Pinel (1842–1896) African Encampment at Gabès, Tunisia Oil on canvas 32.5 × 46 cm (12.8 × 18.1 in.) 62 × 75.5 cm (24.4 × 29..7 in.) framed Signed lower right Born in...
Canvas, Oil
Through collage, painting and printmaking, the artist foregrounded Black life in America in revolutionary new ways.
By working with lettering, neon and Pop imagery, Chryssa pioneered several postmodern themes at a time when most male artists detested commercial mediums.
