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Yeniceriagasi, or General of the Janisseries

Anonymous Greek artist

1809

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanticism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

Yeniceriagasi, or General of the Janisseries 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

The painting depicts an official dressed in a green robe with fur trim, wearing a Janissary headdress adorned with a feather, and carrying an axe. Part of a series commissioned by Stratford Canning during his diplomatic mission to Istanbul in 1808–1809, the work blends Ottoman artistic techniques with European perspective. The artist remains unidentified but is believed to have been associated with Konstantin Kapidagli’s circle. The series was acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1895 from Canning’s daughter, Charlotte.

Read the full account in the museum source.