Scene in the Jewish Quarter of Constantine

Théodore Chassériau

1851 · Oil on canvas · European Paintings

Chassériau witnessed this scene and sketched it in his notebook during a trip to Algeria in 1846. From the ancient town of Constantine he wrote, "I have seen some highly curious things: primitive and overwhelming, touching and singular. At Constantine, which is high up in some enormous mountains, one sees the Arab people and the Jewish people [living] as they were at the beginning of time." The Jewish women of North Africa were especially attractive subjects for European painters because they did not wear veils.

Artist

Théodore Chassériau

Date

1851

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Purchase, The Annenberg Foundation Gift, 1996