Aloysius Rosarius Amadeus Raymondus Andreas Preziosi
1845
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Women at a Sebil or Street-Fountain is a 1845 watercolor by Aloysius Rosarius Amadeus Raymondus Andreas Preziosi, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This watercolor shows women at a public fountain in Constantinople. The scene captures everyday life in the 1800s. One woman lifts her veil to drink while a servant holds a small boy. His fur-lined coat hints at his family’s wealth. Water was scarce and precious in the warm climate. Public fountains were built as charity by wealthy donors. The artist painted them with care, showing clothing styles and social roles. Check out another work from this artist at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The painting depicts Turkish women at a public fountain in Constantinople, where elaborate sehils provided the city's primary water source. One woman lowers her veil to drink while a black servant holds a small boy, whose fur-edged coat signifies his family's wealth. The women wear feraces, full cloaks that conceal their bodies, while the child wears a brightly colored outfit. The work is stylistically similar to a mid-1840s series in the Victoria and Albert Museum, suggesting a comparable date.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Amedeo Preziosi (2 December 1816 – 27 September 1882) was a Maltese painter and traveler known for his watercolours and prints of Constantinople, the Balkans, Ottoman Empire, and Romania.
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