Favorite of the Seraglio with her Handmaiden

After beginning his studies at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts, Vasilii Kotarbinsky moved to Rome in 1872, and would remain there for another fifteen years. Much like his contemporaries Henryk Siemiradzki and Pavel Svedomsky, Kotarbinsky’s time in Rome would prove foundational for the artist’s mature style. Influenced by Roman antiquity, Kotarbinsky’s oeuvre focused heavily on classical motifs and mythological themes, though he dabbled in more exotic orientalist styles as well. In the present painting, the artist has rendered an idealized scene which bridges these two styles, depicting a fair-haired courtesan and her handmaiden reclining in a sumptuous setting. While the architectural details seem to recall antiquity, the opulent fabrics and the brazier beside the two women draw their inspiration from Orientalism as well. The abundance of imagined floral elements in the picture is another favorite theme of the artist found frequently in his work. Said a contemporary critic, ‘Kotarbinsky is a dreamer – he dreams all the time, ceaselessly, while he is at work and at rest' (V. Dedlov, Kievskii Vladimirskii Sobor i ego khudozhestvennye tvortsy, Moscow, 1901).