1839
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Suliman Aga, the last of the old Mamelukes is a 1839 watercolor by Godfrey Thomas Vigne, a Orientalism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This sketch shows a bearded man in profile, wearing a loose turban and a fur collar. His face is drawn with quick, sketchy lines, and the turban’s folds are loose and flowing. The paper has faint handwritten notes in the corners, but the drawing itself is simple and focused on his strong features. The artist wrote that this was Suliman Aga, the last of a group called the Mamelukes, in 1839. The fur collar and turban suggest someone from a different culture, drawn during a time when European artists traveled and recorded distant people. Next, look up Vigne, Godfrey Thomas (FRGS) to see more of his sketches from travels.
A watercolour drawing from 1839 by Godfrey Thomas Vigne depicts Suliman Aga, the last of the old Mamelukes, who served as keeper of the arsenal for Muhammad Ali and was noted for his architectural contributions in Cairo. The work was created during Vigne’s return journey from India to England in 1839. According to records, the piece was acquired in 1971 from the artist’s great-nephew, Henry D’Olier Vigne.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Godfrey Thomas Vigne was an English amateur cricketer and traveller.
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