Ludwig Deutsch (Austrian, 1855-1935) A Dealer in Artefacts signed, inscribed and dated 'L Deutsch PARIS 1887' (upper left) oil on panel 40.6 x 28.3cm (16 x 11 1/8in). Footnotes: Provenance Private collection, Scotland. The broad themes, specific details, and nearly photographic technique witnessed in the present and subsequent lot, are characteristic of Deutsch's art. The deliberate combination of ethnographic accuracy and creative imagination is also typical of Deutsch, and may be considered the hallmark of his mature and immediately recognisable style. Both pictures feature nearly identical blue and white tiles, which may have been drawn from Deutsch's vast personal collection of souvenirs acquired abroad. Interestingly, similar tiles are also included in several paintings by Deutsch's best friend and compatriot, Rudolf Ernst. As of yet, these tiles cannot be linked to any specific architectural landmark, pattern book, or contemporary European museum collection; this supports the suggestion that they were among Deutsch's own studio props. In addition to the tiles, the two pictures feature other compositional details that were oft-repeated favourites of the artist. These include: a man's blue striped qumbaz, or coat with narrow sleeves, large brass lamps with cylindrical glass pendant bulbs, often seen hanging in mosques, mother-of-pearl inlaid wooden chests and boxes, and other local handicrafts. Finally, both pictures suggest the masculine nature of much of Deutsch's Orientalist art, and the artist's interest in depicting intimate or seemingly banal moments from everyday life in late 19th century Egypt. Deutsch's ethnographic specificity is evident throughout the present lot: the striped shawl, with its distinctive metallic thread, may be from Kerdassa, a weaving village outside Cairo. Below it dangles a misbaha, or string of red prayer beads. (In Islam, the string is typically made up of 99 beads, one for each of the 99 names of Allah. Strands of 33 and 66 beads are sometimes also seen, the latter being more common to the worry beads of Greece, Turkey, and Armenia.) There are ushabti, or ancient Egyptian funerary figurines intended to serve the deceased in the afterlife, an ornately carved scimitar, and a musical instrument, in this case an oud. The carpets here are favourites of Deutsch's, and are seen in other compositions. They lie on top of a worn palm-leaf mat, an added touch of realism within this Egyptian scene. Beside the seated figure are orb-like incense burners and a chibouk, or straight-stemmed pipe. The man's cocked head and slightly backward tilt may have been meant to suggest that he has recently been indulging in the contents of the pipe, as this posture had become a signal in Orientalism and Deutsch's own art for an altered or drugged state. We are grateful to Emily M. Weeks, Ph.D for compiling this catalogue entry. The work will be included in a critical catalogue of the Orientalist work of Ludwig Deutsch currently in preparation by Emily M. Weeks, Ph.D. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com