1866 · The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

A naked woman at centre and man at far right are shown in a public courtyard, as prospective slave owners inspect their bodies. Meticulous details like the figures' clothing, as well as the style of the surrounding architecture, evoke locales such as Egypt and Turkey, where Gérôme spent several months traveling and sketching. Constructed both from imagination and observation, this dehumanizing scene portrays Islamic society as strange, violent, and depraved.Show more