"Basseĭn v gareme" i drugie proizvedenii︠a︡ Zhana-Leona Zheroma v sobranii Ėrmitazha, katalog vystavki

A 2011 exhibition at the Hermitage marked the return of an important painting stolen in 2001. Recovered in 2007 and recently restored, "Pool in a Harem" was exhibited together with other paintings and sculptures by Gérôme. Though not great in quantity, the works at the Hermitage convey the artist's main interests, which reflect a late romanticism: the exotic world of the East, Napolean{u2019}s campaigns, dueling and masquerades, the history of antiquity. The detailed introduction discusses Gérôme's works as they relate to those of other mid nineteenth-century artists. A chapter on restoration explains the difficulties restorers faced and the methods of determining authenticity. -- Summary written by John W. Emerich, Bronze Horseman Literary Agency.