The Order of the Grand Vizier

Like other Orientalist painters, Jean-Joseph-Benjamin Constant blended European misconceptions and fantasies of North Africa and the Middle East with intricate renderings of props he gathered on a trip to Spain and Morocco. The dramatic subject, lavish interior, and sparkling colors of this painting were designed to mirror European consumers’ exoticizing fantasies of the region. Several decorative elements may be based on objects in Constant’s studio. The golden curtain, ewer, stool, and architectural backdrop are similar to props photographed there in 1890.