This beautiful oil on canvas painting was painted by Jean Leon Gerome approximately in 1887. It depicts an everyday scene in the life of a carpet merchant in a rug market in Cairo during this period. He may be the central figure with the white beard explaining the merits of his painting to interested parties. The people in the background are probably servants/assistants. Some of the carpets are strewn on the floor while two hang from the balcony. The intricate design of one carpet is clearly visible. Multiculturalism is on view here, as the clothing patterns of all the men seem to point towards different nationalities. Jerome visited such a market during his travels in the Middle East in 1885.
Paintings such as these (called genre art) appeal to the sentiment because they carry within them hints of beauty in everyday life, something which is often overlooked but is very much there.
The painting is currently on display at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minnesota USA.
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