ticketsMember | Make a donation

Prayer in the Mosque

by 1874
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 804
Gérôme painted this scene, which depicts the interior of the seventh-century mosque of ‘Amr in Cairo, after his visit to Egypt in 1868. The rows of worshipers, ranging from the dignitary and his attendants to the loincloth-clad Muslim holy man, face Mecca during one of the five daily prayers. It is unlikely, however, that Gérôme witnessed a service at this particular mosque, which had fallen into disuse by 1868. Rather, the image is probably a composite of sketches and photographs of various sites. Gérôme traveled widely in the Middle East; more than two-thirds of his paintings are devoted to Orientalist subjects.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Prayer in the Mosque
  • Artist: Jean-Léon Gérôme (French, Vesoul 1824–1904 Paris)
  • Date: by 1874
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 35 x 29 1/2 in. (88.9 x 74.9 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Bequest of Catharine Lorillard Wolfe, 1887
  • Object Number: 87.15.130
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

Audio

Cover Image for 6032. Prayer in the Mosque

6032. Prayer in the Mosque

0:00
0:00
We're sorry, the transcript for this audio track is not available at this time. Please email info@metmuseum.org to request a transcript for this track.

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
The Sword-Dance at a Pacha's
Jean-Léon Gérôme
George Barrie
1881
The Christian Martyrs
Jean-Léon Gérôme
ca. 1880
A Muslim Preparing for Prayer, Jean-Léon Gérôme French, Black chalk on wove paper
A Muslim Preparing for Prayer
Jean-Léon Gérôme
ca. 1862–67
The Egyptian Smoker
Jean-Léon Gérôme
1868
Assan, a Young Man, Jean-Léon Gérôme French, Graphite
Assan, a Young Man
Jean-Léon Gérôme
ca. 1855–56

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Showing 4 of 5

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.