Study of a Kabyle Man, Algeria, December 10, 1861

1861

Not on view

After achieving success with paintings of Crimean War subjects, Pils received a commission for a monumental work commemorating Napoleon III’s visit to Algeria in 1860. Though the painting is now lost, an oil sketch reveals that this drawing is a study for the central figure of the composition, one of the Kabyle leaders who received the Emperor. Pils spent two years in Kabylie, a northern region of Algeria, sketching the landscape and people. In this accomplished study, he effectively combines black and white chalks to convey the light hitting the burnous, a garment traditionally worn for important events by high-ranking individuals.

Artwork Details

Title: Study of a Kabyle Man, Algeria, December 10, 1861
Artist: Isidore Pils (French, Paris 1813/15–1875 Douarnenez)
Date: 1861
Medium: Black and white chalk on gray paper
Dimensions: Sheet (visible): 13 7/8 × 9 7/8 in. (35.2 × 25.1 cm)
Mat: 19 1/4 × 14 1/4 in. (48.9 × 36.2 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Kenneth Jay Lane, 2013
Object Number: 2018.208.2
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Isidore Pils

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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Head of an Arab, Isidore Pils French, Charcoal and pastel — Head of an Arab
Isidore Pils
ca. 1861

Two Bishops (lower register; study for wall paintings in the Chapel of Saint Remi, Sainte-Clotilde, Paris, 1858), Isidore Pils French, Red, white, and black chalk, on blue-gray paper — Two Bishops (lower register; study for wall paintings in the Chapel of Saint Remi, Sainte-Clotilde, Paris, 1858)
Isidore Pils
19th century

Drapery Study for a Bishop (lower register; study for wall paintings in the Chapel of Saint Remi, Sainte-Clotilde, Paris, 1858), Isidore Pils French, Black chalk, stumped, heightened with white chalk, on gray paper — Drapery Study for a Bishop (lower register; study for wall paintings in the Chapel of Saint Remi, Sainte-Clotilde, Paris, 1858)
Isidore Pils
19th century

Study for Clovis (middle register; study for wall paintings in the Chapel of Saint Remi, Sainte-Clotilde, Paris, 1858); verso: Head of a Soldier (unrelated to Sainte-Clotilde decorations), Isidore Pils French, Black chalk, stumped, heightened with white gouache, on gray paper (recto); black chalk (verso) — Study for Clovis (middle register; study for wall paintings in the Chapel of Saint Remi, Sainte-Clotilde, Paris, 1858); verso: Head of a Soldier (unrelated to Sainte-Clotilde decorations)
Isidore Pils
19th century

Drapery Study for Figure Holding Crown (middle register); study for wall paintings in the Chapel of Saint Remi, Sainte-Clotilde, Paris, 1858, Isidore Pils French, Black chalk, stumped, heightened with white chalk, on gray paper — Drapery Study for Figure Holding Crown (middle register); study for wall paintings in the Chapel of Saint Remi, Sainte-Clotilde, Paris, 1858
Isidore Pils
19th century

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