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Nöbetçi, or orderly officer

Anonymous Greek artist

1809

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanticism Early 19th Century Portrait

Dominant colour

Nöbetçi, or orderly officer 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 large water and bodycolour study by an anonymous Greek artist, *Nöbetçi* depicts an orderly officer in Ottoman service and belongs to a series commissioned by Stratford Canning during his early diplomatic posting in Istanbul. The work blends dense Ottoman watercolour technique with European perspective and representation, reflecting the artist’s likely association with the studio or circle of Konstantin Kapidagli. Originally part of a bound volume, the series was purchased by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1895 from Canning’s daughter Charlotte for ten guineas.

Read the full account in the museum source.