French Master, around 1900

French Master, around 1900, Lovers in the Ancient Orient (Salammbo and Matho). A young woman, dressed in precious jewelry, but naked, sits with her head bowed on a bench. A man in a golden tiara lies beside her and speaks to her. His dark complexion contrasts with the woman's ivory-white skin. A sun sail covers them. Reeds and other plants through which sunlight falls surround the couple. The painting suggests the play of light and the exotic atmosphere of the ancient Orient. The couple may represent Salammbo and Matho, the main characters in Gustave Flaubert's novel, which was hugely popular in the fin de siècle. Salammbo is the daughter of the Punic general Hamilcar, and a priestess; Matho, a Libyan mercenary leader who threatens Carthage because the city cannot pay the promised wages. But he falls in love with Salammbo. Matho steals the veil of the goddess Tanit from Carthage, and Salammbo seeks him to get the veil back. At the meeting of the two, the author leaves open what happens between them.
Oil on canvas, 109 x 109 cm