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Harem Scene

ca. 1884–1900
Not on view
Orientalist painters were intrigued by the secret world of women at the hammam, which was inaccessible to their Western male eyes. Paintings of the type present voluptuous female bodies in various stages of undress, sometimes accompanied by servants or entertainers. This scene likely imagines a private bath in a palace harem (women’s quarters), evidenced in the water basin at the lower right corner, and mosaic floor at the lower left.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Harem Scene
  • Artist: Henry Siddons Mowbray (1858–1928)
  • Date: ca. 1884–1900
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 17 x 22 in. (43.2 x 55.9 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Edward D. Adams, 1926
  • Object Number: 26.158.3
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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