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A Saka, or water carrier[?]

Anonymous Greek artist

1809

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanticism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

A Saka, or water carrier[?] is a 1809 watercolor by Anonymous Greek artist, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Anonymous Greek artist
When & what style?: 1809 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

The story of this work

Overview

A Saka, or water carrier, is one of a series of works commissioned by Stratford Canning during his diplomatic mission to Istanbul in 1808, documenting Ottoman customs and architecture. The anonymous Greek artist, possibly linked to Konstantin Kapidagli’s circle, employed dense water and bodycolour techniques alongside European perspective. The series was later bound in a volume and acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1895 from Canning’s daughter. Charles Cockerell, who met the artist in Istanbul, made copies of his architectural views now held in the British Museum.

Read the full account in the museum source.