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Arabas, or carriages

Anonymous Greek artist

1809

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanticism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

Arabas, or carriages 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

About this work

This watercolour shows two Ottoman carriages from around 1809. One is closed, the other open, but both were meant to carry women outside the palace. The artist was hired by a British diplomat who wanted detailed records of what he saw in Istanbul. The closed carriage gave full privacy. Women in the open one relied only on their veils. The diplomat, Stratford Canning, had just arrived in Turkey when he started this project. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum next.

The story of this work

Overview

Two views depict horse-drawn arabas, or carriages, used for transporting women from the Sultan’s palace. One vehicle is enclosed, providing privacy, while the other is an open araba with an awning, relying on veils for concealment. The works belong to a larger series of Ottoman scenes commissioned by diplomat Stratford Canning and executed by an anonymous Greek artist in 1809. The drawings were later acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1895 from Canning’s daughter.

Read the full account in the museum source.