283 - Gustave Henri Eugène DELHUMEAU (1836–1911)

Gustave Henri Eugène DELHUMEAU (1836–1911) Portrait of an Emir (1862). Oil on canvas, signed and dated “G. Delhumeau 1862.” In a beautiful gilded wooden frame. H. 82.7 x W. 65.4 cm. Frame: H. 98 x W. 82 cm. Biography Born in the Vendée in 1836, Gustave Delhumeau enrolled in 1860 at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied under Léon Cogniet (1794–1880) and Alexandre Cabanel (1823–1889). Beginning in 1863, he exhibited regularly at the Salon until his death in 1911. He also presented his works at the Salons in Lyon, Nantes, and Limoges, as well as at the Royal Academy in London. This portrait fully reveals his talent as a portraitist by presenting a vivid likeness of an emir. The painting is part of the Orientalist movement, which his teacher Léon Cogniet himself explored by painting portraits of Arab figures (ill. 1). Beyond this prevailing fascination with the East, our painting—signed and dated 1862—reflects a more specific context: the fascination that the figure of Emir Abd el-Kader held at the time. An Algerian religious and military leader, he led the resistance against France’s conquest of Algeria from 1832 to 1847. After his surrender, he was held captive in France, notably at the Château d’Amboise, until his release by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (1808–1873) in October 1852. Settling in Damascus in 1855, he distinguished himself during the riots of the summer of 1860 by saving several hundred—or even several thousand, depending on the source—Christians in the city. His fame then spread internationally: between 1860 and 1866, the press hailed him, and his name became synonymous with courage and humanity. Artists produced numerous portraits of him—painted, engraved, or photographed—and a rich body of imagery emerged, such as the painting by Jean-Baptiste-Ange Tissier (1814–1876) depicting the emir’s liberation, painted in 1861 (ill. 2), or the portrait by Stanisław Chlebowski (1835–1884) (ill. 3). It was against this backdrop that Delhumeau painted this work, which fully embraces this craze by adopting the conventions of Abd el-Kader’s portrayal: through the nobility of the pose and the elegance of the face, he makes his subject the embodiment of the ideal emir. Related Works - Léon Cogniet, Portrait of a Young Arab Chief, circa 1852, London, Royal Collection (inv. 408930) (ill. 1). - Jean-Baptiste-Ange Tissier, The Prince-President Grants Freedom to Abd-el-Kader. Château d’Amboise, October 16, 1852, 1861, Versailles, Palaces of Versailles and Trianon (inv. MV 5030) (ill. 2). - Stanisław Chlebowski, Abdelkader in Constantinople, 1866, Chantilly, Musée Condé (inv. PE 172) (ill. 3). Literature - Bouyerdene Ahmed, Abd el-Kader: Fragments of a Portrait, Albouraq, Paris, 2022. - Martin Jules, Our Painters, Sculptors, Engravers, and Draftsmen: Portraits and Biographies, Followed by a Note on the French Salons Since 1673, Fine Arts Societies, Artistic Property, etc., Flammarion, Paris, 1897. - Véron Théodore, On the Art and Artists of My Time: The 1875 Salon, H. Oudin, Poitiers, 1875.