Who painted Figure Studies, Tangier?

Figure Studies, Tangier was painted by David RA Roberts in 1833.

Where can I see Figure Studies, Tangier?

Figure Studies, Tangier is held by Victoria and Albert Museum.

What movement is Figure Studies, Tangier?

Figure Studies, Tangier is associated with Orientalism.

Artwork

Figure Studies, Tangier

David RA Roberts , 1833

Figure Studies, Tangier is a watercolor work on paper by the Orientalist artist David RA Roberts. It dates from 1833 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

Overview

Figure Studies, Tangier is a watercolour executed by David Roberts in 1833 while he was travelling in Tangier, Morocco. The sketch records a bustling street scene populated by pedestrians and animals, rendered with rapid washes and sketchy line work that suggest immediacy rather than finished composition.

Subject & Meaning

The composition captures a moment of everyday activity: a woman in a long dress walks beside a camel, while other figures sit, stand, or rest on the ground. The inclusion of both people and livestock highlights the intertwined nature of human and animal presence in the city's public spaces.

Technique & Style

Roberts employed loose, fluid watercolor washes combined with quick, gestural lines to convey movement. The handling is characteristic of on‑site sketching, emphasizing the transient qualities of light and motion over detailed rendering, aligning with the observational practices of early 19th‑century travel artists.

History & Provenance

After its creation, the drawing entered the art market and was acquired from the dealers Abbott & Holder in October 1961 for a modest sum of £5, as documented by Rodney Searight. Its provenance traces back to Roberts’s original field studies during his North African itinerary.

Context

Roberts’s Tangier studies were produced during a period when Romantic artists sought exotic locales to expand visual vocabularies. The work reflects the Romantic fascination with distant cultures and the desire to record vivid, immediate impressions of foreign environments.