Study of an Algerian Boy Dancing

Bida embraced subjects drawn from North Africa, the Middle East, and western Asia, influenced by his early teacher Eugene Delacroix and, to an even greater degree, by his contemporaries Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps and Prosper Marilhat. Depictions of genre scenes from these regions dominated his oeuvre and were among his many canvases shown at Paris Salons from 1847 until 1894. His travels and preparations for paintings yielded many figure studies featuring detailed, meticulous renderings of local dress. This study of a young man carefully describes his short tunic and striped open robe, typical elements of contemporary dress in Algeria and the Maghreb. Compared to a more finished, signed study of a boy in similar clothing in the Royal Collection at Windsor (RCIN 917955), this sheet, signed only with the artist's initial and lacking details of setting, was probably intended as a study for a figure in a painting.