Bab al-Wazir street and the mosques of Khayrbak and Aqsunqur, Cairo
Drawing
1831-1832 (drawn)
1831-1832 (drawn)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This masterly drawing represents a view looking north along part of the Darb al-Ahmar (now Sharia Bab al-Wazir). On the right is a corner of the Palace of Alin Aq (now almost destroyed); next, the Mosque and Tomb of Amir Khayrbak; behind this, the Mosque of Aqsunqur, also known as the Blue Mosque or the Mosque of Ibrahim Agha. It is an excellent example of Marilhat's sensitive use of his chosen media - pencil and red chalk - not only to render precisely each architectural detail but also to convey the contrasts of light and shade, and to suggest the hot, dusty atmosphere of the Cairo street.
Marilhat travelled in the Near East with the botanist and traveller Baron Karl von Hugel in 1831-32, and stayed on in Egypt for a further year making topographical studies, such as the one shown here, as well as portraits of notable people, including Muhammad Ali, Viceroy of Egypt. After his return to France he exhibited Orientalist paintings for ten years. These won great critical acclaim, and many engravings and lithographs after his work were published.
Marilhat travelled in the Near East with the botanist and traveller Baron Karl von Hugel in 1831-32, and stayed on in Egypt for a further year making topographical studies, such as the one shown here, as well as portraits of notable people, including Muhammad Ali, Viceroy of Egypt. After his return to France he exhibited Orientalist paintings for ten years. These won great critical acclaim, and many engravings and lithographs after his work were published.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Bab al-Wazir street and the mosques of Khayrbak and Aqsunqur, Cairo (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Pencil and red chalk |
Brief description | Drawing, Darb al-Ahmar, Cairo, 1831-1832, by Prosper Georges Antoine Marilhat |
Physical description | Drawing. |
Dimensions |
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Marks and inscriptions |
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Credit line | Purchased with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund, Shell International and the Friends of the V&A |
Object history | According to Rodney Searight: - `The Fine Art Society, 1978.' |
Historical context | The drawing represents a view looking north along part of the Darb al-Ahmar (now Sharia Bab al-Wazir). On the right is a corner of the Palace of Alin Aq (now almost destroyed); next, the Mosque and Tomb of Amir Khayrbak; behind this, the Mosque of Aqsunqur, also known as the Blue Mosque or the Mosque of Ibrahim Agha. Cf. P. Coste, Architecture Arabe ou Monuments du Kaire, Paris, 1839, [Pl.61], titled Vue Des Mosquées D'Emyr-Jacour Et D'Jbrahym-Aga, Sur La Rue Khourbaryeh; also I. Taylor, La Syrie..., Vol.II, Pl.179, facing p.278. A version, titled, partly incorrectly, Mosquées d'Emyr-Yacoub et d'Ibrahym-Agha, in J.J. Marcel, Égypte, Depuis La Conquete Des Arabes Jusqu'a La Domination Française, Paris, 1848, Part 3, Pl.34 |
Subject depicted | |
Places depicted | |
Summary | This masterly drawing represents a view looking north along part of the Darb al-Ahmar (now Sharia Bab al-Wazir). On the right is a corner of the Palace of Alin Aq (now almost destroyed); next, the Mosque and Tomb of Amir Khayrbak; behind this, the Mosque of Aqsunqur, also known as the Blue Mosque or the Mosque of Ibrahim Agha. It is an excellent example of Marilhat's sensitive use of his chosen media - pencil and red chalk - not only to render precisely each architectural detail but also to convey the contrasts of light and shade, and to suggest the hot, dusty atmosphere of the Cairo street. Marilhat travelled in the Near East with the botanist and traveller Baron Karl von Hugel in 1831-32, and stayed on in Egypt for a further year making topographical studies, such as the one shown here, as well as portraits of notable people, including Muhammad Ali, Viceroy of Egypt. After his return to France he exhibited Orientalist paintings for ten years. These won great critical acclaim, and many engravings and lithographs after his work were published. |
Bibliographic reference | Labrusse, Remi. Islamophilie. L'Europe moderne et les arts de l'Islam. Lyon : Musee des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, 2011
59 |
Collection | |
Accession number | SD.616 |
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Record created | February 28, 2008 |
Record URL |
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