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Bashi-Bazouk Chieftain by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1881.

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Bashi-bazouk - Jean-Léon Gérôme

Bashi-Bazouk, by Jean-Léon Gérôme

“’Bashi-Bazouks were irregular Turkish troops of the Ottoman Empire. They were not paid for their services, but lived from plunder, and were especially feared for their ferocity’. Bashi-bazouk is the transliteration of a Turkish term whose literal definition is "broken-head," a reference to the reckless behavior of these soldiers of fortune; but the term may be translated idiomatically as "headless," because this takes into account the fact that the soldiers were not bound by a strict or disciplined hierarchy.”

“This arresting picture was made after Gérôme returned to Paris from a twelve-week journey to the Near East in early 1868. He was at the height of his career when he dressed a model in his studio with textiles he had acquired during the expedition. The artist’s Turkish title for this picture—which translates as "headless"—evokes the unpaid irregular soldiers who fought ferociously for plunder under Ottoman leadership, although it is difficult to imagine this man charging into battle wearing such an exquisite silk tunic.”

- The Met’s description of the painting

“The model depicted in the present work is presumably dressed in souvenirs that Gérôme acquired abroad. He is shown bust-length, in a near-frontal position. [The first painting] exhibits equally unerring technical precision but is three times larger, and the figure is shown from behind. Gérôme employed different models for the respective pictures—the present one has the lighter complexion of the two—and their costumes and accessories differ in every respect save the extraordinary textile headpiece.”

- The Met’s description of the painting