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Odalisque

The fantasy of sexual availability is a recurrent theme of Orientalist painting. The luxurious setting and the presence of a guard are intended to suggest that the woman belongs to the harem of a wealthy man.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Odalisque
  • Artist: Benjamin-Constant (Jean-Joseph-Benjamin Constant) (French, Paris 1845–1902 Paris)
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 35 x 54 3/4 in. (88.9 x 139.1 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Kenneth Jay Lane, 2017
  • Object Number: 2017.202.4
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings
More Artwork
Three Figures in an Interior (Un Envoi de Serbie), Benjamin-Constant (Jean-Joseph-Benjamin Constant)  French, Oil on canvas
Benjamin-Constant (Jean-Joseph-Benjamin Constant)
1876
Ceramic Horn, Glazed pottery, French
French
late 18th or early 19th century
The Spanish Singer, Edouard Manet  French, Oil on canvas
Edouard Manet
1860
Judith, Benjamin-Constant (Jean-Joseph-Benjamin Constant)  French, Oil on canvas
Benjamin-Constant (Jean-Joseph-Benjamin Constant)
possibly ca. 1886
Osage Warrior, Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin  French, Watercolor and graphite on off-white wove paper, American
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin
1805–7

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