An accomplished late-19th-century portrait of an older North African gentleman wearing a yellow jacket and a red fez. It’s painted with expression and was possibly intended as a study in advance of a larger work.
During the 19th-century, it became popular for artists from the West to travel to North Africa to study its sights, vibrant colours, and scenery. As a result, a new genre was born, which was referred to as ‘Orientalism’.
The portrait is signed illegibly in the lower right and held within a later frame.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 24” x 28½” / 61cm x 73cm
Year of creation: c. 1890
Provenance: England
Condition: Areas of craquelure but the paint layer is stable. Frame with some light age-related wear.
