Fellahin preparing the ground, with an overseer
1820
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1820
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Fellahin preparing the ground, with an overseer is a 1820 watercolor by S. Bossi, a Orientalism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This watercolor shows three men working in a dry, sunlit field. One man stands with a long pole, another walks with a rake, and the third—wearing a red hat—sits on the ground, leaning on a stick. Tall palm trees line the background, and the colors are soft and earthy, with light shading on skin and clothing. The seated man’s red hat stands out against the muted tones, drawing attention. The scene looks like a snapshot of daily life, not a grand historical event. Next, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more works like this.
A watercolour drawing by S. Bossi from around 1820 depicts fellahin preparing soil, possibly for indigo planting, under the supervision of an overseer. The attribution to Bossi is supported by stylistic links to lithographs in Edward Joshua Cooper’s 1824–27 publication *Views in Egypt and Nubia*, which Cooper noted were drawn by the artist during his 1820–21 journey. The work may be one of several unpublished drawings referenced in Cooper’s preface.
Read the full account in the museum source.
S. Bossi left a small but striking group of watercolours from the early 1820s that show daily life in Egypt under Ottoman rule. Three works in this set pair riders with their grooms—one shaykh and his son on mules,…
See the richer artist page
![A Mounted Mamluk with his Sais [Groom]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/93e3f53d48765120/thumb.webp)
![A Shaykh with his Son[?] on Mules, with their Sais [groom]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/240d85ba529e2bf3/thumb.webp)