Harem Scene

Henry Siddons Mowbray

ca. 1884–1900 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

Orientalist painters were intrigued by the secret world of women at the hammam, which was inaccessible to their Western male eyes. Paintings of the type present voluptuous female bodies in various stages of undress, sometimes accompanied by servants or entertainers. This scene likely imagines a private bath in a palace harem (women’s quarters), evidenced in the water basin at the lower right corner, and mosaic floor at the lower left.

Artist

Henry Siddons Mowbray

Date

ca. 1884–1900

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Edward D. Adams, 1926