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Portrait of Muhammad Ali

Unknown

1840

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanticism Early 19th Century Portrait

Dominant colour

Portrait of Muhammad Ali is a 1840 watercolor by Unknown, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1840 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This painting is a watercolour portrait of a man with a white beard and turban. He wears a blue robe over a red shirt, and a gold necklace. The background is a mottled grey. The man's expression is serious, and his eyes seem to gaze into the distance. The artist has used delicate brushstrokes to capture the texture of the man's clothing and the folds of his turban. The use of watercolour gives the painting a soft, dreamy quality, which is characteristic of the Romanticism movement. If you're interested in learning more about this style, you might want to explore the Romanticism movement.

The story of this work

Overview

A watercolour drawing from 1840 depicts Muhammad Ali, formerly tentatively attributed to Frédéric Goupil-Fesquet, with a lithograph by H. Borremans et Cie. in the British Museum's Department of Prints and Drawings reproducing the same image. The work was purchased from W. T. Spencer in August 1967.

Read the full account in the museum source.