Emile Prangey - The Ambush

Emile PRANGEY Thy-le-Château (Belgium), 1832 - ? Oil on canvas 47 x 38 cm (69 x 59 cm with the frame) Signed lower left "Prangey" Very beautiful 19th century frame in gilded wood with plant decoration Emile Prangey Belgian painter residing in Namur was a drawing teacher at the Athénée royal de Namur from 1864 to 1874. He exhibited in Namur as well as in Ghent between 1868 and 1880 after having been one of the founding members of the Artistic and Literary Circle of Namur. An orientalist painter, Prangey is first known for his military paintings in the 1870s, in particular his Arab horsemen in full 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, from where he brought back paintings, watercolors, and daguerreotypes. The imagery of the Arab horseman 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 have even spoken of an "equestrian Arabomania." In our painting, Prangey paints two Arab soldiers in action with great movement and beautiful colors. By the costume and the long rifle with a butt, we recognize a soldier on horseback from the Maghreb. It is at the same time a genre scene: the Arab horseman and the soldier on foot seem to be caught in an ambush. We will particularly notice the details of the costumes and the beautiful colors which give all the charm to this painting.