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A veiled Turkish woman

Anonymous Greek artist

1809

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Orientalism Romanticism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

A veiled Turkish woman is a 1809 watercolor by Anonymous Greek artist, a Orientalism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

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

About this work

This watercolor shows a veiled Turkish woman. It comes from a series paid for by a British diplomat in Istanbul. The artist stays unknown, but experts link him to a Turkish painter’s circle. The diplomat wanted records of Ottoman life. He hired local artists to sketch what he saw. Their work mixes Ottoman bright colors with European style. Look up the Anonymous Greek artist next.

The story of this work

Overview

The artwork depicts a veiled Turkish woman dressed in a green outdoor robe and a white headscarf. It belongs to a series of drawings commissioned by Stratford Canning during his diplomatic mission to Istanbul in 1808. The series was later acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1895 from Canning’s daughter. The artist, likely associated with the circle of Konstantin Kapidagli, blended Ottoman watercolor techniques with European perspective.

Read the full account in the museum source.