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A scene of Gypsies dancing

Anonymous Greek artist

1809

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanticism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

A scene of Gypsies dancing 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 scene depicts Gypsies dancing, featuring a boy dancer, a female dancer, and a seated man playing the kemençe, or small violin, rendered in dense water and bodycolour with combined Ottoman and European techniques. The work is part of a large series of views and studies commissioned by Stratford Canning during his diplomatic mission to Istanbul in 1808, with the artist’s identity remaining unknown but linked to the circle of Konstantin Kapidagli. Originally bound in a volume, the set was acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1895 from Charlotte Canning for ten guineas.

Read the full account in the museum source.