On This Dome is a Brazen Horseman, Mounted on a Brazen Horse, from 'The Story of the Third Kalandar' in "The Arabian Nights"

1922

Not on view

A shipwrecked king gazes through mist at a magical brass sculpture atop a pavilion. The related "Arabian Nights" tale recounts how Agib, son of King Casib, loses his vessel when its nails are pulled out by the magnetic power of the infamous Black Mountain. Waking unharmed, the king prepares to scale the peak and shoot down the statue, which will cause the sea to rise over the dangerous peak. Subsequent adventures bring Agib great happiness, followed by loss when he cannot resist temptation. Finally he becomes a Sufi dervish (or kalandar) and tells his story. Detmold manipulates colors and softens the focus to create a surreal atmosphere that relies upon the tradition of fantastic imagery developed in England by the Pre-Raphaelites and the Victorian watercolorists.

Artwork Details

Title: On This Dome is a Brazen Horseman, Mounted on a Brazen Horse, from 'The Story of the Third Kalandar' in "The Arabian Nights"
Series/Portfolio: The Arabian Nights
Artist: Edward Julius Detmold (British, London 1883–1957 Montgomery, Wales)
Date: 1922
Medium: Watercolor
Dimensions: Image: 28 in. × 19 1/4 in. (71.1 × 48.9 cm)
Watercolor border: 30 3/4 × 21 3/4 in. (78.1 × 55.2 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of James David Draper, from the Robert Isaacson Collection, 2014
Object Number: 2014.643.3
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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Tiger, Edward Julius Detmold British, Etching with drypoint, printed in color — Tiger
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One Day There Came to him Sindbad the Landsman, from 'The First Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor' in "The Arabian Nights", Edward Julius Detmold British, Watercolor — One Day There Came to him Sindbad the Landsman, from 'The First Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor' in "The Arabian Nights"
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Revealing Such Treasure as Surely Mortal Eyes Had Never Before Gazed Upon, frontispiece from 'The Story of Baba Abdalla' in "The Arabian Nights", Edward Julius Detmold British, Watercolor — Revealing Such Treasure as Surely Mortal Eyes Had Never Before Gazed Upon, frontispiece from 'The Story of Baba Abdalla' in "The Arabian Nights"
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To the Promised Land, Edward Julius Detmold British, Etching — To the Promised Land
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