The Lamp Tender

Like his contemporaries Ludwig Deutsch (1855-1935) (see lots 13,19) and Rudolf Ernst (1854-1932) (see lots 3, 12) Raphael von Ambros trained at the Vienna Academy under Hans Makart. Indeed, Rudolf Ernst addressed this same subject (see lot 3). Like Ernst, Ambros would pay equal interest to the detailed nuances of eastern architecture as to the figurative subjects of his paintings. In the present lot the central figure is framed by the Islamic architecture around him: to the left the cold green metallic door with elaborate geometric patterns, to the right linear patterns formed by parallel joins of the warmer golden and sunlit stone. The figure is caught deep in concentration as a steady grip lightly pours the oil into the lamp. The elaborately woven texture of the warm gold and red in his costume contrasts against the deep black background, creating a flame like effect.
From 1887 Ambros settled in Paris, where the current work is executed, and began exhibiting at the Salon.