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Kizlar Aga, or Chief Eunuch

Anonymous Greek artist

1809

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanesque Romanticism Early 19th Century Portrait

Dominant colour

Kizlar Aga, or Chief Eunuch is a 1809 watercolor by Anonymous Greek artist, a Romanesque work, 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

About this work

This painting is a portrait called Kizlar Aga, or Chief Eunuch. It was made by an Anonymous Greek artist. The artist was hired by Stratford Canning to make a series of views and studies of Ottoman institutions and customs. This was part of Canning's diplomatic work in Turkey. You can learn more about this kind of art at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

The work depicts a black eunuch dressed in red robes with fur trim and a tall white turban, part of a series of views and studies commissioned by Stratford Canning during his diplomatic mission to Istanbul in 1808–1809. The artist, likely associated with the circle of Konstantin Kapidagli, blended Ottoman watercolor techniques with European perspective and representation. The series was originally bound in a volume and acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1895 from Stratford Canning’s daughter, Charlotte.

Read the full account in the museum source.