The Caliph of Constantine
{{Short description|Painting by Théodore Chassériau}}
{{Infobox artwork
| image_file=Théodore Chassériau - Ali-Ben-Hamet, Caliph of Constantinople and Chief of the Haractas, Followed by his Escort.JPG
| image_size=270px
| title=The Caliph of Constantine
| artist=Théodore Chassériau
| year=1845
| medium=oil on canvas
| height_metric=325
| width_metric=259
| metric_unit=cm
| imperial_unit=in
| museum=Palace of Versailles
| city=Versailles
}}
The Caliph of Constantine, full title, Ali Ben-Hamet, Caliph de Constantine and Chief of the Haractas, Followed by his Escort, is an oil-on-canvas painting by the French artist Théodore Chassériau, executed in 1845. It is held at the Palace of Versailles.
Description
This painting in the orientalist style is a good example of the "passion for color and movement" that gripped Chasseriau at this time. The equestrian portrait represents Ali Ben Ahmed, the leader of the Haraktas, in Algeria, who had invited Chassériau during his visit to Paris.François Pouillon, Dictionnaire des orientalistes de langue française, Paris, Karthala Editions, 2012, p. 214 (French) He appears triumphantly riding his brown horse, followed by four members of his tribe, one of them black, also riding horses and holding spears. Clouds of dust rise from the horses' hooves.
Critical reception
The painting was exhibited at the Salon of 1845, where it received mixed reviews.Dominique Massonaud, Le nu moderne au salon (1799-1853): revue de presse, Grenoble, ELLUG, 2005, volume 5, p. 169 (French) Chassériau was accused of doing a "harmful imitation of the art of Delacroix", although the painting was described as "full of grandeur and majesty".Dominique Massonaud, Le nu moderne au salon (1799-1853): revue de presse, Grenoble, ELLUG, 2005, volume 5, p. 169 (French) He was also accused of a lack of science and firmness in the depiction of the horses, and was criticized for the way he painted the limbs of the leading horse in the foreground.Théophile Thoré, Salons de T. Thoré: 1844, 1845, 1846, 1847, 1848, J. Renouard, 1870, 2nd edition, p. 121 (French)
References
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{{Théodore Chassériau}}
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Category:Paintings by Théodore Chassériau