127 - ALFRED DEHODENCQ (Paris, 1822–1882).

ALFRED DEHODENCQ (Paris, 1822–1882). “Study of Figures.” Ink on paper. With a pencil inscription reading “VIII, 23”. The paper shows signs of discoloration. Measurements: 24 x 16.5 cm; 44 x 36 cm (frame). Alfred Dehodencq was a 19th-century French painter and a leading figure of Romanticism and pictorial Orientalism. He trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris as a student of Léon Cogniet, where he became acquainted with the Romantic tradition of Géricault and Delacroix. His career was deeply influenced by his travels to Spain and Morocco, countries whose culture, landscapes, and customs became one of his main sources of inspiration. During his stay in Spain, which began in 1849, he was particularly impressed by the painting of the Golden Age, especially that of Velázquez and Goya, and established a close relationship with the Duke of Montpensier, for whom he executed major commissions in Seville. He later resided in Morocco for approximately ten years, producing a body of Orientalist work. He won a first medal at the 1865 Paris Salon and was named a Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1870. His works are represented in major public collections, including the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Carmen Thyssen Museum in Málaga, the Petit Palais in Paris, and the Musée National Magnin. The paper shows signs of discoloration.