orientalism is a movement reflecting the fascination of the west for the exoticism of eastern lands, which became popular during the second half of the 19th century. romantic portrayals of african countries in contemporary literature and operas, such as "l'africaine" and "aida", have encouraged this exoticism. in the united states, the 1876 turkish bazaar at philadelphia century exhibition further heightened the fascination with turkish or moorish themes that lasted well into the 1880s. orientalist themes allowed artists to break free from the monochromy of neo-classicism. using a range of gilded and silvered bronze, marble, onyx and colored stones, they enrich their work while maintaining a keen ethnographic interest in their models.