Two Bashibazouks in Front of the Gate is an early work by Paja Jovanović, created in the mid-1880s. It is an example of academic realism from the early orientalist phase of his work. The painting depicts two armed bashibazouks in an oriental setting.
The work "Two Bashibazouks in Front of the Gate" was created in oil on panel around 1887 or 1888 and was owned by the English gallery McConnell Mason until 2004. In 2018, it was sold at an orientalist auction held in Sothebys, London. Reaching a price of 465,000 pounds, this painting is considered the most expensive work of Serbian painting ever sold.
The painting measures 46 x 35 cm and is set in a rich frame, depicting two soldiers in an oriental setting. It was created in oil on wood in the early creative phase of Jovanović. The soldiers are members of the Turkish army dressed in national costume and armed with flintlock rifles. One soldier is sitting while the other stands and smokes a chibuk.
The painting depicts Arnauts, i.e. Bashibazouks, members of the irregular infantry and cavalry forces of the Ottoman army. They were composed of volunteers, most often Circassians, Albanians, Kurds and Roma-Muslims. They avoided organized battles and were known for their atrocities, robbery and taking of slaves. Bashibazouks were known for their lack of discipline.