Morocco

One great painter of the Far East is the Frenchman Jean-Joseph Benjamin Constant (1845-1902). He was taught by the very famous, excellent painter Alexandre Cabanel, whom we will feature in the future. Be sure you've seen his infamous Cléopatre essayant des poisons sur des condamnés à mort [Cleopatra testing poisons on death-condemned prisoners].

Constant's work is very Orientalist, with scenes from Morocco, where he visited. The picture above is Marchand de tapis à Tanger [Haggling in Tangier] from 1883. The French phrase marchand de tapis means 'carpet merchant', as Persian cultures and Moroccans selling local carpets were often ones that haggled for price.

Be sure to look at his famous Les nuits arabes [Arabian Nights], which is a great look at nighttime terraces and women in Morocco.