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Administering the Felek or bastinado in Persia

William Henry Pierson

1869

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Orientalism Realism Late 19th Century

Dominant colour

Administering the Felek or bastinado in Persia is a 1869 watercolor by William Henry Pierson, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: William Henry Pierson
When & what style?: 1869 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This watercolor shows a group of men in colorful, old-fashioned clothes standing in a courtyard. Some are holding sticks and appear to be playing with a rope tied between two poles. Others are lying on the ground, looking like they’re pretending to be knocked down. In the background, a man in a window watches, holding a hookah. The scene looks like a punishment game called the *felek* or bastinado, where people swing sticks at someone’s feet. The bright colors and loose brushwork make it feel lively, even though the scene is serious. If you like this, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more works like it.

The story of this work

Overview

The illustration depicts a scene of judicial punishment in Persia, where a figure lies bound on a wooden plank known as the Felek, or falaka, while another administers the bastinado by striking the soles of the feet with sticks. The work accompanies an 1874 account by F.S. Goldsmid, who described witnessing such an event firsthand. It was later acquired from the Royal Geographical Society through Christie’s in 1974.

Read the full account in the museum source.