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Çuhada aga, or footman

Anonymous Greek artist

1809

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanesque Romanticism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

Çuhada aga, or footman 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

The artwork depicts an official dressed in a pink robe with long sleeves, lined in green, accompanied by a sword and a green and white turban. Part of a series commissioned by Stratford Canning during his diplomatic mission to Istanbul in 1808, the drawing was likely created by a local Greek artist associated with Konstantin Kapidagli’s circle. The piece combines Ottoman artistic techniques with European perspective and was later acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1895 from Canning’s daughter.

Read the full account in the museum source.