The Carpet Merchant

With his masterpiece The Carpet Trader Jean Leon Gerome opens a window on the Carpet Market in Cairo, as he experienced during his Orient trip in the 1880s. The observer looks from behind at the detailed scenery. Several men, who are affluent in their attire, inspect a large rug hanging from a balcony. The carpet is richly decorated with flower patterns and animal motifs. He hides another, smaller carpet that is already sold or not of interest to the buyers. On the floor are carelessly more carpets that either have no value or have already been traded successfully. They are no longer given any attention, the focus is on the big carpet alone. The men look at him with different body language. The man in the white beard gestures and gestures with his fingers. Two of the men have their hands crossed behind their backs and signal no willingness to act. The youngest member of the group is closer to the carpet to see it better. A bit out of the way, a man with a dark beard gestures. At the edge of this scene are other people whose appearance speaks for a lower level. They are uninvolved spectators, without a significant role in the trade of woven valuables. Only the wonder remains, just like the viewer of the painting.