Jean-Léon Gérôme’s painting questions what’s real and what’s not 

Jean-Léon Gérôme. The Antique Pottery Painter: Sculpturæ vitam insufflat pictura, 1893. oil on canvas, Overall: 50.1 x 68.8 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Gift from the Junior Women’s Committee Fund, 1969. Photo © AGO. 69/31

For this month’s RBC Art Pick, we turn our attention to The Antique Pottery Painter: Sculpturæ vitam insufflat pictura (1893), an oil on canvas painting by French painter and sculptor Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904).

In this behind-the-scenes look at a fictional artist’s studio, a woman is seated and surrounded by objects and artworks on the left side of the canvas. She holds a small figurative sculpture in one hand and in the other, a thin paintbrush. On the table in front of her is a row of other small figurative sculptures painted in bright colours. On the right side of the canvas, another woman stands facing a large shop window as she sells artworks to passerby shoppers in the courtyard. There are many different works placed around the studio including sculptures, paintings and masks. 

An influential 19th century artist and sculptor, Gérôme’s works all boast meticulous attention to detail, effectively pulling viewers into their narratives. He became famous for his artworks depicting mythological and historical scenes, as well as portrayals of the Middle East. Gérôme was one of the most popular and sought-after artists of his time; he received honours and awards across Europe, his paintings achieved record-breaking sale prices, and as a professor at the prestigious École des Beaux-arts, he trained thousands of students.  

Find this painting on view on Level 1 in the Carol Tanenbaum Gallery (gallery 116), at the AGO as part of the exhibition Steam: Impressionist Painting Across the Atlantic. For many more secrets of the painting, read the full text, in this week’s Foyer, linked HERE.