Portrait studies of a young Arab male

Circa 1850

Oil on canvas, framed

74 cm. wide x 61.5 cm. high / 29 x 24 ins (94 cm. x 81 cm. framed)

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PROVENANCE:

Sotheby's London, British Paintings 1500-1850, 9th July 1997, lot 104, as ‘William Etty’ (sold for £13,800)

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The present painting is a captivating example of  British orientalist portraiture. It shows, from three angles, a young moustachioed Arab male glancing to dexter, wearing a collared shirt and long black locks of hair flowing beneath a red-and-white turban. He is surrounded by a background of swirling red clouds.

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A portrait of Prince Johannis Mavromichaeli, from the collection of Sir Nicholas Goodison and attributed to the Bristol-born Anglo-German artist, William James Müller (Christie’s, London, 25 May 2022, lot 73), may be related to the present portrait in terms of the sitter’s glance to dexter, the swirling clouds in the background and the fine rendering of the locks of hair, in comparison to the sketchy clothing.

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It seems likely that the present painting was a preparatory sketch for a larger portrait, executed during a young British artist’s travels in North Africa or the Middle East in the mid-nineteenth century.

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