Artwork
View of the North Transept, the Entrance to the Tukish Pavilion
View of the North Transept, the Entrance to the Tukish Pavilion is a watercolor work on paper by the British Romanticist artist John Absolon. It dates from 1851 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
This watercolour shows the entrance to the Turkish Court from the Great Exhibition of 1851. It’s a view of the North Transept, painted by John Absolon.
The Great Exhibition drew over six million visitors to a glass and iron building called the Crystal Palace. Money from the show helped start what’s now the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum next.
Overview
This watercolour depicts the entrance to the Turkish Pavilion from the North Transept of the Crystal Palace, the venue of the 1851 Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, London.
Subject & Meaning
The artwork focuses on the Turkish Court's entrance, featuring a blue plaque with the tughra of the reigning sultan, a calligraphic emblem bearing the sultan's names and titles, unique to each reign.
Technique & Style
Executed in watercolour, the piece was part of a series reproduced as colour lithographs in the souvenir guide, Recollections of the Great Exhibition.
History & Provenance
Created by John Absolon, this watercolour is one of several images from the exhibition later published in a commemorative volume.
Context
The Great Exhibition, with over 13,000 exhibits, drew six million visitors (a third of Britain's population) and funded initiatives in South Kensington, including the precursor to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Legacy
The exhibition's profits contributed to the establishment of the Victoria and Albert Museum, with its first building erected in 1857, leaving a lasting impact on London's cultural landscape.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Absolon was a British watercolourist, specialising in figure painting. He studied in London and then Paris.
