A Cairo Bazaar — The Della'l by John Frederick Lewis

A Cairo Bazaar — The Della'l

John Frederick Lewis

Signed and dated 1875

Watercolour, heightened with bodycolour and gum arabic

25 1/2 x 19 1/4 inches, 64.7 x 49 centimetres

Provenance: Gooden & Fox, Pall Mall; Thos. Agnew & Sons, 1897

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"A Cairo Bazaar The Della'l, by J F Lewis is as extraordinarily brilliant in colour and the rendering of textures as any of his better-known works." — The World

"In many of the sooks, (bazaars) of Cairv auctions are held on stated days. They are conducted by della'ls, or brokers, hired either by persons who have anything they wish to sell in this manner, or by shop keepers. The della'ls carry goods up and down, announcing the sums bidden fior them, with cries of 'Haraj, harqj' etc" — Lane, Customs of the modern Egyptians

Painted in the year before his death, A Cairo Bazaar is a jewel-like sparkling reminiscence of the colourful, exotic city in which he had spent so many happy years. John Frederick Lewis had lived in a grand merchant's house close to both the Mosque of Sultan Hassan and to the shady, narrow courtyards of the souk. In this watercolour a tall, elegantly dressed merchant laden with the fine treasures of the bazaar barters for an exquisitely embroidered cloth. In some ways, this figure can be seen as a mirror of the artist himself, who lived, according to William Thackeray, like an 'Oriential Prince'. After his visit to Cairo, Thackery wrote: "Frederick is going about with a great beard and crooked swoni, dressed up like an odious Turk" (Pre-Raphaelite-Symbolist-Visionary, p. 24)

References

"Mssrs Agnew annual exhibition of selected watercolour drawings by the English masters." The World, 24 February 1897.

Lane, Edward William. An account of the customs of the modern Egyptians: written in Egypt during the years 1833-5. London: Charles Knight and Co., the Library of Entertaining Knowledge, 1836-7.

Nahum, Peter, and Sally Burgess. Pre-Raphaelite-Symbolist-Visionary. London: Peter Nahum at Leicester Galleries. Catalogue number 8.

Last modified 4 June 2007