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The Kizlar Aga, or the Hazinedar Aga

Anonymous Greek artist

1809

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanticism Early 19th Century Portrait

Dominant colour

The Kizlar Aga, or the Hazinedar Aga 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 portrait shows a high-ranking Ottoman official from around 1809. The artist is unknown but worked for a British diplomat in Istanbul. The picture is part of a big set made for Stratford Canning. The role of the Chief Black Eunuch was powerful but unclear. He ran the Harem and sometimes handled money too. Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

The work depicts a black eunuch wearing green robes trimmed with fur and a tall turban of white and gold. Part of a series commissioned by Stratford Canning during his diplomatic mission to Istanbul, the drawings were produced by an anonymous Greek artist whose style blends Ottoman watercolor techniques with European perspective. The series was later bound in a volume and acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1895 from Canning’s daughter.

Read the full account in the museum source.