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A Bashi-Bazouk

1875
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 804
The figure depicted here is a mercenary of the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish term for him is bashi-bazouk, which translates as “headless.” These men fought for plunder, an association that gave Bargue license to employ his virtuosic painting technique to paint finery such as the silk garments and narghile, or water pipe.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: A Bashi-Bazouk
  • Artist: Charles Bargue (French, Paris 1825/26–1883 Paris)
  • Date: 1875
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 18 1/4 x 13 1/8 in. (46.4 x 33.3 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Bequest of Catharine Lorillard Wolfe, 1887
  • Object Number: 87.15.102
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Bashi-Bazouk, Jean-Léon Gérôme French, Oil on canvas
Bashi-Bazouk
Jean-Léon Gérôme
1868–69
Portrait of the Artist (?), Charles Bargue French, Dark brown chalk
Portrait of the Artist (?)
Charles Bargue
1850–83
Houses, Charles Bargue French, Graphite
Houses
Charles Bargue
1845 (?)
Study for "The Almeh", Charles Bargue French, Black chalk on tracing paper
Study for "The Almeh"
Charles Bargue
1879
Marie Antoinette
Multiple artists/makers
October 1, 1858

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