Charles Cordier (1827-1905 )Arab sheikh of CairoCirca 1866Bronze head model with brown patina H: 47 cm with blackened wood pedestal H: 14 cmProvenance : Family of the artist by descent. The export certificate n° 229705 of the work will be given to the buyer. Related works: - Charles Cordier, Arab Sheikh of Cairo, 1866, plaster bust, unlocated; - Charles Cordier, Arab Chaik of Cairo, after 1866, bronze and marble-onyx bust, H. 94.2 x W. 58.5 x D. 41 cm, Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, inv. 106 S / 1996 . Related literature: Laure de Margerie, Édouard Papet, Charles Cordier, 1827-1905: l'autre et l'ailleurs, cat. exp. Paris, Musée d'Orsay, 2 February-2 May 2004, Quebec, Musée national des Beaux-arts, 10 June-6 September 2004, New York, Dahesh museum of Art, 12 October 2004-9 January 2005, Paris, Éditions de la Martinière, 2004, models listed from no. 84 to no. 98, pp. 153-155 In 1866, after obtaining a government grant and thanks to the sale of part of his studio at the Hôtel Drouot the previous year, Cordier left for Egypt from January to September . He brought back seven studies of heads in plaster, including the Arab Sheikh of Cairo. The artist presented a bronze version at the 1867 Universal Exhibition. In addition to the plaster cast, which has not been located, nine different versions have been recorded, most of which are paired with the Juive d'Alger. All known examples are in bust form, draped and the head adorned with a turban. Our bronze is unpublished, unique because of its use as a master model and, beyond its great plastic qualities, it is an important document that allows us to get closer to the genesis of the work, of which only versions "augmented" with clothing accessories are known.