‘Arnaut of Cairo’
Jean-Léon Gérôme
The French artist often painted Arnauts (irregulars in the Ottoman army from Albania and the Balkans). This painting from the late 1850s shows one of these mercenaries with two whippets on the streets of Cairo — the Arnauts were often used to maintain Ottoman authority over various outposts. It is expected to fetch up to $345,000.
‘Procession in Jaffa’
Gustav Bauernfeind
The German architect and artist resided in Jaffa for around three years in the 1880s and reportedly wandered the streets armed with a sketchbook and miniature spy camera to record his impressions. “You have to live in a country like this a long time before becoming even superficially familiar with all it has to offer,” Bauernfeind wrote to his mother in 1885. Expected to sell for up to $2.9 million.
‘The Scholar’
Ludwig Deutsch
The Austrian artist’s encounters with scholars at Cairo’s renowned Al-Azhar University around the beginning of the 20th century are thought to be the inspiration for this portrait of a man reflecting on the Holy Qur’an. “The figure’s distinguished dress reflects his status and wealth,” Sotheby’s notes, “since only the most expensive black dyes stood up to scrutiny under bright light.”
