A Eunuch's Dream

1874
(French, 1842–1923)
Framed: 54 x 74.5 x 5.5 cm (21 1/4 x 29 5/16 x 2 3/16 in.); Unframed: 39.3 x 65.4 cm (15 1/2 x 25 3/4 in.)
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Did You Know?

Much of Jean Lecomte du Nouÿ's artwork was inspired by travelling to Egypt as a young man.

Description

This painting, inspired by Charles Montesquieu's Persian Letters (published in 1721), depicts a eunuch who wanted to marry a harem slave. He experienced a vision of her while smoking his opium pipe, but her little companion holding a knife dripping with blood reminds us that the eunuch's anatomy precludes the fulfillment of his dream. The outline of a hand next to the signature is a khamsa, a symbol used to ward off evil.
A Eunuch's Dream

A Eunuch's Dream

1874

Jean Lecomte du Nouÿ

(French, 1842–1923)
France, 19th century

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