Artwork
With the Turks at Shipka - Allah! Allah! A Turkish charge after an unsuccessful assault by the Russians
With the Turks at Shipka - Allah! Allah! A Turkish charge after an unsuccessful assault by the Russians is a watercolor work on paper by the Impressionist artist John Dawson OWS Watson. It dates from 1877 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The work is a watercolour illustrating a moment from the August 1877 clash at Shipka Pass during the Russo‑Turkish War.
About this work
Overview
The work is a watercolour illustrating a moment from the August 1877 clash at Shipka Pass during the Russo‑Turkish War. It captures a Turkish cavalry thrust that follows an unsuccessful Russian attack, presenting a tumultuous battlefield where both sides suffer heavy casualties.
Subject & Meaning
The composition emphasizes the fervent resolve of the Ottoman troops, who are shown shouting a battle cry as they advance under intense fire. The depiction conveys the intensity of religious and national zeal that contemporary observers linked to the Turkish forces in this episode of the war.
Technique & Style
Executed with loose, sketch‑like brushwork, the watercolour relies on a limited palette of grays, browns and occasional stark highlights to convey motion and smoke. Figures are rendered with strained expressions and unidealised forms, reinforcing the immediacy and disorder of combat rather than heroic idealisation.
History & Provenance
The image first appeared in the illustrated newspaper *The Graphic* on 13 October 1877, derived from an engraving that bore the caption "Allah! Allah!" The publication served to inform a British readership about the ongoing conflict, and the watercolour has since been catalogued as a visual record of the battle.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Dawson Watson painted scenes of daily life and war in watercolour. In 1869 he showed The Winkle Gatherer, a quiet moment by the shore. Four years later he captured the chaos of battle in With the Turks at Shipka -…
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