Ludwig Deutsch - The Procession of the Mahmal Through the Streets of Cairo [1909]

This work is a veritable tour de force by Deutsch, both in terms of the complexity of the subject and the sheer scale of the work. Stylistically, too, it marks a new departure in Deutsch’s oeuvre, away from the highly poised and minutely observed portraits towards a freer, bolder, more impressionistic idiom befitting the dynamic scene portrayed. The painting is clearly grounded on Deutsch’s personal participation at a public event in Islamic Cairo, the procession of the Mahmal, the camel-mounted litter containing the holy Qu'ran, and the centrepiece of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, as it leaves the Egyptian capital. With the incense billowing, the banners floating, the flaring of fires in portable braziers, the musical instruments playing, the crowd peering and pointing, Deutsch gives life to celebration central to Muslim life.

 

[Sotheby’s, London - Oil on canvas, 177 x 201 cm]

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