Janissary
1820
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
About the artist
Artist
William Page
American, Albany, New York 1811–1885 Staten Island, New York
See the richer artist page1820
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Janissary is a 1820 watercolor by William Page, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows a man in a long blue coat with red trim, holding a woven basket. His hat has a tall feather, and he wears bright red shoes with gold designs. The background is a simple sky and ground, keeping focus on him. The basket he carries looks like it might hold bread or other goods. His clothes suggest he could be a guard or official from an earlier time. Next, look up Romanticism to see how artists used emotion and detail in their work.
This watercolour drawing by William Page depicts a janissary, a member of the elite Ottoman infantry corps, rendered in a style consistent with the artist’s early 19th-century costume studies. Based on on-the-spot observation rather than copied sources, the work reflects Page’s documented travels in the Near East around 1819–20. The drawing is part of a larger group of studies (SD.720–740) that demonstrate two distinct stylistic phases in the artist’s career. It was acquired in 1967 from Maggs.
Read the full account in the museum source.
American, Albany, New York 1811–1885 Staten Island, New York
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