Artwork
La Pointe du serail, Constantinople
La Pointe du serail, Constantinople is a watercolor work on paper by the Orientalist artist Unknown. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
La Pointe du Sérail, Constantinople is an unsigned watercolour created in 1850, capturing a serene view of the Sublime Porte in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), with small wooden-roofed houses, trees, a nearby white building, and distant waterway lined with buildings, domes, and towers.
Subject & Meaning
The subject is a tranquil scene of everyday life in 19th-century Constantinople, focusing on the contrast between the immediate, humble surroundings and the imposing, distant architecture of the Sublime Porte, reflecting a fascination with Oriental settings.
Technique & Style
Executed with soft colors and light, expressive strokes, the watercolour embodies a characteristic 19th-century approach to depicting exotic, far-off locales, emphasizing serenity and haze, akin to Romantic-era travelogues.
History & Provenance
Previously attributed to D. H. McKewan, the work's authorship remains unknown due to inconsistencies with McKewan's known oeuvre, which predominantly featured Smyrna rather than Constantinople.
Context
Created during a period of heightened European interest in the Orient, this piece aligns with the broader artistic trend of capturing Eastern landscapes with a sense of peaceful, idyllic remoteness, characteristic of Romanticism's influence on travel and landscape art.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
View of Punta del Seraglio. From the journey to Constantinople
View of Constantinople from Pera across the Golden Horn
View of Constantinople (Istanbul) and the Seraglio from the Swedish Legation in Pera
Constantinople and the Bosphorus from above Scutari
Constantinople. From the Entrance to the Golden Horn
Constantinople
Constantinople
Panorama de Constantinople
St. Sophia, Constantinople
Entrance to the Golden Horn, Constantinople