The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Vol. 1 (1885) - Page 10

A black and white reproduction of an Orientalist Orientalism: A style of art and literature produced by Westerners that depicted the Near East, North Africa, and Asia in a romanticized or exotic way. painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme. The scene takes place within a bathhouse, or hammam: A type of steam bath or public bathing establishment associated with the Ottoman Empire and the Middle East.

In the center, a nude woman sits on a ledge decorated with patterned floral tiles. Her body is angled away from the viewer as she rests her head against a large stone pillar. To her left stands a dark-skinned female attendant wearing a turban, necklaces, and a draped lower garment. The attendant holds a large metal washbasin.

In the immediate foreground, the edge of a tiled pool is visible. Shafts of light descend from an unseen source above, cutting through the dim interior and illuminating the texture of the stone walls and the figures. A dark cloth is draped over the top of the masonry on the right side. The artist's signature, "J. L. GÉRÔME," is visible on the stone block above the seated woman.