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Cellâd or Executioner

Anonymous Greek artist

1809

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanesque Romanticism Early 19th Century Beheaded Head

Dominant colour

Cellâd or Executioner is a 1809 watercolor by Anonymous Greek artist, a Romanesque work, depicting Beheaded Head, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

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

The story of this work

Overview

The artwork depicts a figure in green robes holding a sword in one hand and a severed head in the other. It is part of a series of drawings commissioned by Stratford Canning during his diplomatic mission to Istanbul in 1808–1809. The artist, likely associated with Konstantin Kapidagli’s circle, blended Ottoman watercolor techniques with European perspective. The series was later acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1895 from Canning’s daughter.

Read the full account in the museum source.