Spanish painter Marià Fortuny was captivated by the Oriental themes when he traveled to Morocco in 1859. The city council of Barcelona had suggested that he go to Africa with the Spanish troops taking part in the Spanish-Moroccan War and paint the historical panorama “The Battle of Tetuán.” Even though the painting was not finished, during the journey Marià Fortuny made a huge number of sketches and studies that he later used to create full-scale complete artworks. “Snake Charmers” is a genre painting
of a scene from the Arabic world. The combinations of bright colors and a free brush technique make this artwork a pictorial extravaganza. After the release of this painting, Marià Fortuny was consistently thought of as an “Orientalist.”