Jean-Léon Gérôme was one of the most influential French artists of the nineteenth-century, being particularly renowned for his Orientalist paintings depicting dream-like, exotic subjects. Born in 1824 in Vesoul, the artist studied drawing in his hometown before moving to Paris, working as an apprentice in Paul Delaroche’s studio. Delaroche was Gérôme’s most influential teacher and was responsible for introducing the young artist to the art of the Mediterranean, travelling with him to Italy in 1843-1844.

Indeed, Gérôme studied and engaged extensively with the cultures of Europe, North Africa and Turkey throughout his career. During the artist’s travels, the encounter with the art and ruins of the ancient world left an indelible mark in his mind, later influencing his language and the development of his oeuvre.

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