Smyrna
1857
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1857
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Smyrna is a 1857 watercolor by Maria Harriett Mathias, a British Romanticism work, depicting Genoa, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This watercolor shows a quiet harbor town nestled between a mountain and the sea. Buildings with flat roofs line the waterfront, and a few small boats float near the shore. A larger ship with tall masts sits anchored closer to the center, while a church with a simple dome stands out in the middle of town. The artist used soft, light colors to keep the scene calm and dreamy. The mountains in the background fade into pale blues and whites, almost like a sketch. Check out Maria Harriett Mathias to see how she painted other coastal scenes.
A watercolour drawing titled *Smyrna* by Maria Harriet Mathias (née Rawstorne) from 1857 depicts a view of the city during her travels in the Levant. The work was likely part of an album featuring watercolours and botanical studies from her tour of Egypt, the Levant, and Italy between 1856 and 1857. The album, including this piece, was sold at Christie’s in 1978 and later acquired by The Fine Art Society before being purchased by the Royal Geographical Society.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Maria Harriet Mathias painted delicate watercolors of the Middle East in 1857. The five works in this set show views from Egypt and Lebanon—Edfoo’s temple walls, cedar groves, a boat trip near Asouan, the skyline of…
See the richer artist page
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