Henri Saintin (1846-1899) - Le Pavillon de l'Algérie - Exposition universelle de Paris, 1889

SAINTIN Henri (1846-1899)

"The Pavilion of Algeria - 1889 Paris Universal Exposition"

Oil on panel,
Signed and titled "Expo Univ- 1889" at the bottom left,
Annotated at the back by the artist: "Rue du Caire - Algeria, Exposition de 1889",

Beautiful work by painter Henri Saintin depicting a lively view of the Paris Universal Exposition of 1889, more precisely of the Pavilion of Algeria.
In this finely detailed work you can see the features of traditional Algerian architecture and its vegetation, represented here by palm trees.

For the designers of the Pavilion of Algeria: "Their objective for the Pavilion was to group [...] the different types of Arabic architecture, in order to present, so to speak, its entire essence." The building thus brought together, in a coherent whole, architectural components from various periods. The 22-meter tall minaret, located at the northern end of the Pavilion (surmounted by a tricolor flag recalling that Algeria was a French colony), and the dome of the great vestibule were copies of those of the XIIth‑century mosque of Sidi-Abd-er-Rahman, in Algiers.
Some faiences and mosaics were inspired by the Djama-el-Djedid Mosque (the Mosque of the Pêcheur). The staircase and the exit door on the south side reproduce those of the Algiers Museum (late 17th- to early 18th century).
The entrance porch, inspired by the tomb of the last dey of Algiers, was of modern architecture.

We can relate our painting to another work by the artist also depicting the Pavilion of Algeria that was auctioned at Sotheby’s on 31 October 2006 in London.

During the Paris Universal Exposition of 1889, the artist set about painting the ephemeral Paris that in a few months saw dozens of palaces rise from the ground. Like a travel diary of the 1889 Exposition, the artist paints views of the different pavilions: the Rue du Caire, the mosques, the banks of the Seine... from different angles.
The Carnavalet Museum in Paris preserves in its collections a work from 1889 depicting a view of the exposition from the banks of the Seine.

Student of Alexandre Ségé, Isidore Pils and Charles Edme Saint-Marcel at the École des beaux-arts de Paris, Henri Saintin was a French painter and watercolorist who began at the Paris Salon in 1867. He won several medals in his participations and notably in 1889, for his last participation, the gold medal within the framework of the Paris Universal Exposition. The following year, he joined the Société nationale des beaux-arts and exhibited there until 1899. He notably executed decorative panels for the Salon des Lettres during the construction of the city hall of Paris. The artist drew inspiration from the Fontainebleau forest and the surroundings of Paris, the Côte d’Or, and especially Brittany. He was named Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur in 1891.
After his death, the contents of his studio, comprising about 308 works, were dispersed at auction at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris.

His works are today kept in several public and private collections.

Dimensions: 24.5 x 19 cm without frame and 41 x 36 cm with its gilded wooden frame.

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