Paul LEROY (1860-1942) Woman of Biskra, 1885. Oil on canvas. Signed, located and dated lower left. On the back on the stretcher stamped "Collection Charles Hayem" in blue wax. 46.4 x 32.8 cm. Provenance: Collection Charles Hayem (1839-1902), collector and patron. Having studied oriental languages, Leroy speaks Arabic perfectly and is passionate about Islamic art. The first of his many trips to Algeria, in 1885, took him from Algiers to Constantine and then to El Kantara and Biskra. He stays there regularly, is a friend of Etienne Dinet and co-founders of the French Orientalist Society.