{"product_id":"judith-by-jean-joseph-benjamin-constant","title":"Judith by Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant","description":"Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant\u003cbr\u003e 1845-1902 | French \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003eJudith\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Signed \"Benjamin-Constant\" (lower right)\u003cbr\u003e Oil on canvas \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e French Orientalist painter Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant reveals himself as a master of detail and texture in this skillfully executed oil on canvas. In it, the beautiful and exotically dressed Old Testament heroine Judith dons her sword amid a luxurious Moorish-inspired interior. The artist adeptly captures the intricacies of the scene, including the contrasting patterns of the wallpaper and fabrics, Judith's silky garments and the fur at her feet. The composition alludes to the heroine's most legendary act: the beheading of the conquering general Holofernes. Judith was a favorite subject for Benjamin-Constant. He exhibited a work on the subject at the Paris Salon of 1886, and a similar scene by the artist depicting Judith bearing her sword is currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York).  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Regarded as one of the foremost Orientalist painters of his age, Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse from 1859 until 1866. Thanks to a scholarship, he was able to move his studies to Paris, and by 1871, he embarked on an extended journey abroad that lasted two years. In particular, his time in Moorish Spain and Morocco would have a lasting impact on his oeuvre. While there, he collected objects and made sketches that would provide the basis for numerous paintings in the years that followed. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Benjamin-Constant soon established a reputation as a painter of Orientalist scenes and became particularly renowned for his treatment of fabric and flesh. He exhibited and won medals at the Salon throughout his career and painted the portraits of Pope Leo XIII, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, Lord John Lumley-Savile and Henri Blowitz, among others. Today, his works can be found in important collections around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the National Portrait Gallery (London) and the Musée d'Orsay (Paris). This painting was previously owned by Horst Reichelbacher, founder of Aveda Cosmetics. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Late 19th century \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Canvas: 18 3\/8\" high x 10 3\/4\" wide \u003cbr\u003e Frame: 22 7\/8\" high x 15 1\/2\" wide \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Provenance:\u003cbr\u003e The Estate of Horst Rechelbacher, Osceola, Wisconsin","brand":"M.S. Rau","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43672899584135,"sku":"31-3932","price":44500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0083\/2471\/0466\/files\/31-3932_1_60e2ef22-09f4-45cd-b98f-5fbbeaf3cd4c.png?v=1767201683","url":"https:\/\/rauantiques.com\/products\/judith-by-jean-joseph-benjamin-constant","provider":"M.S. Rau","version":"1.0","type":"link"}