Palace of Justice, Tangier

Henry Ossawa Tanner, born Pittsburgh, PA 1859-died Paris, France 1937 · ca. 1912-1913

Henry Ossawa Tanner traveled to Tangier in 1912, but it is unclear if he painted this scene there or in his Paris studio, using postcards of the city. The buildings in the background are the law courts, which once housed Morocco’s royal officials. The figures in the right side of the picture represent Mary and Joseph on the flight into Egypt, one of Tanner’s favorite Bible stories. His expressive brushwork and the blues and purples evoke not only an exotic, distant place, but the world of the spirit as well.