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Sipahi, or cavalry soldier

Anonymous Greek artist

1809

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanesque Romanticism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

Sipahi, or cavalry soldier 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

The story of this work

Overview

This work is part of a series of views and studies commissioned by Stratford Canning during his diplomatic mission to Istanbul in 1808, documenting Ottoman institutions, architecture, and customs. The anonymous Greek artist, possibly associated with the circle of Konstantin Kapidagli, employed dense watercolor and bodycolor techniques typical of Ottoman art while incorporating European methods of representation and perspective. The series was later acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1895 from Canning’s daughter, Charlotte, originally bound together in a volume. The drawings reflect…

Read the full account in the museum source.