Emile PRANGEY - The ambush

Emile PRANGEY
Thy-le-Château (Belgium), 1832 - ?
The ambush
Oil on canvas
47 x 38 cm (69 x 59 cm with frame)
Signed lower left "Prangey".
Very fine original gilded wood frame with vegetal decoration
Very good condition
Emile Prangey, a Belgian painter living in Namur, taught drawing at the Athénée Royal de Namur from 1864 to 1874. He exhibited in Namur and Ghent between 1868 and 1880, having been a founding member of the Cercle artistique et littéraire de Namur. An Orientalist painter, Prangey was first known for his military paintings in the 1870s, in particular his Arab horsemen in battle.
Emile Prangey should not be confused with another Orientalist, Joseph Philibert Girault de Prangey, a traveler and photographer who visited Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt, bringing back paintings, watercolors and daguerreotypes.
Imagery of the Arab rider from the Maghreb gradually spread in the 19th century. There was the discovery of North Africa, the romantic aspect of the exotic hero, and the flamboyant costume of the Arab soldier. From the painter Delacroix to the writer Pierre Loti, artists regularly showed their admiration for these proud, superb horsemen in magnificent costumes. Some even spoke of an "equestrian Arabomania".
In our painting, Prangey depicts two Arab soldiers in action, with great movement and color. The costume and long-barreled rifle are reminiscent of a Maghrebian mounted soldier. At the same time, this is a genre scene: the Arab rider and the foot soldier seem to be caught in an ambush. Particularly noteworthy are the details of the costumes and the beautiful colors that give this painting its charm.

Ref: 76H5NGS82P