Egypt, the Egypt of antiquity, at a later time, exercised a mysterious fascination over me. I recognized a picture of it immediately, without hesitation and astonishment, in an illustrated magazine.

My Brother Yves)
Les Trois Dames de la Kasbah (1884) which first appeared as part of Fleurs d'Ennui. Loti was an inveterate collector and his marriage into wealth helped him support this habit. Another room evokes a medieval banqueting hall.