The Scribe

Ludwig Deutsch painted Cairo with extraordinary precision: guards in rich costume, scholars reading, men at prayer and street scenes in front of carved doors and tiled walls. Every surface, from inlaid wood to patterned textiles, is painted in sharp detail. He was born in Vienna in 1855, studied at the Vienna Academy and settled in Paris in 1878. He became a French citizen in 1919. He travelled to Egypt several times from 1885 onwards, collected Eastern objects, costumes and furniture, and used photographs to get architecture right, then painted most of his pictures in his Paris studio. He is one of the best known of the Orientalist painters. The Palace Guard, A Nubian Guard and The Chess Game are typical. Look at the carved woodwork and the richly patterned fabrics. He died in Paris in 1935.