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View of Constantinople from the cemetery at Pera

Unknown

1865

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Orientalism Realism Late 19th Century Cityscape

Dominant colour

View of Constantinople from the cemetery at Pera is a 1865 watercolor by Unknown, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1865 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This painting shows a quiet hillside cemetery lined with tall, dark cypress trees. A lone figure in a red robe stands near the graves, looking out toward a wide body of water. Across the water, a city stretches across rolling hills, dotted with domes and minarets. Notice how the artist used soft, blended colors to show the distance fading into mist. The light feels warm, almost like a sunset. Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see this painting in person.

The story of this work

Overview

A watercolour drawing from 1865 depicts a view of Constantinople from the cemetery at Pera, previously misattributed to Sir E. J. Poynter and later to H. A. Harper. The work was once held in the collections of Sir Hugh Poynter and Earl Baldwin of Bewdley before being acquired by Jeremy Maas in July 1971 for £45.

Read the full account in the museum source.