A Fakeer at the Door of a Mosque, Constantinople

1863

John Frederick Lewis

Associated Names
John Frederick Lewis

Artist, British, 1805 - 1876

This is a painting of an architectural interior and exterior scene featuring people engaged in various activities. The scene is set in a covered outdoor area with stone columns and archways leading to an open courtyard. Inside the covered area, there is a richly decorated interior space with ornate tilework on the walls. Carpets and cushions are placed on raised platforms. The courtyard beyond is bathed in natural light, with shadows casting intricate patterns. Trees provide a canopy of greenery.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    watercolor, gouache, gum arabic, and graphite on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    The Helena E. M. Gunnarsson Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall: 33.5 × 32 cm (13 3/16 × 12 5/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2023.149.1

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Lewis 1978, no. 586

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Myles Birket Foster, London [1825-1899]; (his sale, Christie's, London, 28 April 1894, no. 24, as The Mendicant - Interior of a Turkish House); (J & W Vokins, 14 Great Portland Street, London). (sale Sotheby's, London, 24 Feb 1960, no. 47, as The Mendicant, Cairo). (sale Sotheby's, London, 15 June 1960, no. 18, as The Mendicant, Cairo); Private Collection, Switzerland until 2022; (sale, Koller Auktionen AG, Zurich, 23 September, 2022, no. 03472); (Andrew Clayton-Payne, London)

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1864

  • Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy, London, 1864, no. 133

1891

  • Exhibition of Works by Old Masters and by Deceased Masters of the British School, Winter Exhibition, Royal Academy, London, no. 141 (as "The Mendicant")

Bibliography

1978

  • Lewis, Michael. John Frederick Lewis R.A. 1805 - 1876. London, 1978: no .586.

1982

  • Reitlinger, Gerard. The Economics of Taste: The Rise and Fall of Picture Prices, 1760 - 1960. New York, 1982: vol. 3, p. 239.

Inscriptions

lower left in image: J.F. Lewis ARA, 1863

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