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Optional - receive your painting ready to hang. Note we are only able to ship framed paintings up to a certain size. Once the maximum size is reached, the framing option is automatically disabled. If ordered without a frame the painting will arrive rolled inside a protective tube with an extra 1.5" white canvas on all sides so you can easily frame it in any local frame shop.
Along with harem and bath scenes, Ancient Rome and markets, one of Gérôme’s favorite subject matters were the bashi-bazouks, a group of mercenary soldiers in service of the Sultan’s army. Their name means “one whose head is turned” or “damaged head,” they were renowned for their savagery and brutality and somehow comparable to the Polish and Russian Cossacks or the Indian pindari. The artist would not portray them on the battlefields where they earned their fame, instead preferring to paint them in moments of leisure and relaxation as he does here.
In this oil on canvas, currently housed but not in view at the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York, he portrays, then, the bashi-bazouks in just such a moment, undertaking a variety of leisure and free time activities. Further in the front, one of them stands by a clay oven attentively pouring lead into the cast to produce bullets under the interested gaze of another mercenary. Their proximity to the foreground enables the viewer to see the intricate detail in their attire, which is covered in embroidery and jewels.
Further back, another of them dances, holding a stick in his hand, to the tune of his companion’s bouzouki. Sitting beside the player, other mercenary talks to a woman, who smokes a long-stemmed pipe, and across from them a younger bashi-bazouk prepares a shisha pipe for consumption. This is clearly a scene of relaxation and joy, portraying a life wholly separate from the savagery of the battlefield, secluded in a simple dirt floor hut.
There is a level of aggressiveness and peril in the scene. Not only all men are armed, but they carry openly their intricately decorated weapons. The painting’s composition leads one’s eyes especially towards the mercenary observing the bullet casting process. His body language has contained aggression; his facial expression is quietly threatening, this is a dangerous man, regardless of his environment of revelry.
The combination of activities in the scene is also relevant. Gérôme portrays an amalgamation of two aspects of his models’ lives, and how they are in fact only one. There is no boundary for them between merrymaking and battle preparations, and both activities are conducted with the same naturality. There is no separation between the man and the soldier, as the bashi-bazouk’s life is war and war is an integral part of his life.
Real Oil Paints, Real Brushes, Real Artists, Real Art. The Certificate of Authenticity which arrives with every painting provides an assurance and verifies the authenticity of the hand painted fine art reproduction you purchased. Each oil painting is created by hand using only the finest canvas and oil paints available.
Important Notes About Your Painting:
If you have any request to alter your reproduction of A Café in Cairo,
you must email us after placing your order and we'll have an artist contact you.
If you have another image of A Café in Cairo
that you would like the artist to work from, please include it as an attachment. Otherwise, we will reproduce the above image for you exactly as it is.
Free shipping is included in the price of the painting. Once the painting is ready and dry enough to ship, we will roll it and ship it in a sturdy cardboard tube.
We always ship express via courier to ensure your order reaches you as soon as possible - normally within three business days. The total delivery time from the moment you place your order until the package is delivered to your door is normally between three to four weeks.
If, in the unlikely event you were dissatisfied with the painting after reviewing it in person, it can be returned for a full refund for up to 365 days after delivery.
When you receive the painting; you are free to return it for more revisions or else for a full refund minus our actual shipping cost -- which is, on average, $25 per painting.
1st Art Gallery provides a full warranty covering manufacturing and material defects for paintings purchased from our website. The warranty covers damage for normal use. Damage caused by incidents such as accidents or inappropriate use are not covered.
Depending on the degree of damage to the warranted painting, it will either be repaired or replaced. This warranty service is provided free of charge.
When purchasing a painting on its own, it will arrive rolled inside a secure tube with an extra 1.5" of white canvas on all sides so you can easily frame it in any local frame shop.
You may choose to purchase your painting framed, in which case, it will arrive "ready to hang". We offer more than 20 beautiful models, all hand finished and expertly assembled by our experienced framers.
Note that for safety reasons we can only frame up to a certain size. Once the maximum size is reached the framing option is automatically disabled.
If you are planning to frame your painting yourself,
use an existing frame, or frame it locally, you may choose to order your painting with a stretching service,
meaning that it will arrive mounted on wooden bars.
If you're considering not framing your painting at all, you may opt for a Gallery Wrap. The term Gallery Wrap refers to the way the canvas is stretched, which is by wrapping it around thick stretcher bars, about 1.5 inch thick, with the canvas being secured to the back rather than the sides of those bars.
All orders ship with UPS, FedEx or DHL and will arrive directly to your home or office. A tracking number will be emailed to you as soon as the order leaves our studio so you can track it online. All orders ship express and usually arrive within 4-5 days from the shipping date. Due to shipping restraints, many of our framed, stretched, and oversize paintings may take 6-21 days for arrival depending on the safest route determined by the postal service.