Maryino – Portrait in African costume

Maryino – Portrait in African Costume was painted in 1901 at Maryino, a Russian estate — possibly while Ciągliński was preparing for or returning from his journey to Egypt and Palestine. The 'African costume' suggests either an Egyptian or Bedouin garment brought back from the journey, or a theatrical or studio costume intended to evoke the Orient. Such costume studies were common in the tradition of Orientalist painting, where the wearing of exotic dress became a way of inhabiting another culture imaginatively. Ciągliński's version brings Post-Impressionist freshness to an established genre.

The costume's distinctive form and color provide the compositional focus. Ciągliński renders the figure with direct, confident brushwork, the costume treated as an exercise in the particular colors and textures of North African or Middle Eastern dress. Background is kept simple.