An Egyptian Princess

An Egyptian Princess of 1875 belongs to the Orientalist fascination with ancient and contemporary Egypt that swept European culture following Napoleon's Egyptian campaigns and was intensified in the 1870s by the opening of the Suez Canal and the spectacular productions of Verdi's Aida at the Vienna Court Opera in 1874. Makart's work responded directly to contemporary cultural events, and the Egyptian subject of 1875 almost certainly reflects the cultural excitement surrounding Aida's Vienna reception. Ancient Egyptian costume and setting allowed European painters to combine archaeological spectacle with sensuous figure painting — the fantasy of an exotic other culture became a vehicle for aesthetic display. Makart's Egyptian Princess is characteristic of this cultural moment: a female figure in orientalized costume, set against elements suggestive of ancient Egypt, combining art-historical reference with fashionable exoticism.

The orientalist subject allows Makart to explore chromatic combinations and costume elements not available in European historical subjects — gold, lapis, and exotic textile patterns can be deployed more freely than in Renaissance or Baroque costume subjects. The panel support suggests a relatively small-format work despite its ambitious subject. Warm atmospheric light consistent with Makart's general practice unifies the Egyptian setting's compositional elements.