Ruines du Monastère de Cozzafani, Chypre

Louis Francois Cassas was sent to the Near East by his patron Ambassador to the Porte Choiseul-Gouffier to produce sketches for his forthcoming book Le Voyage Pittoresque de la Syrie, de la Phoenicie, Palestine et la Basse Egypte. He came to Cyprus in 1785 on his way from Alexandretta to Egypt because of a storm. Six engravings of views of Cyprus are included in Choiseul-Gouffier’s book. Cassas made thirteen illustrations of Cyprus; two of these are still missing and references in the French archives indicate that these were of Amathus. This is a second view of Bellapais in watercolours. It delineates a portico with a Greco-Roman sarcophagus under it. The Gothic cloisters of Bellapais Abbey lie behind. There is lush vegetation and a group of figures in conversation. The picture is a glorification of Gothic and Greek art although the stones are overgrown with ivy and bushes. The gothic detail of the window is etched in the light of the sky seen through it. The small group consists of three women and a scribe; their costumes leave no doubt about their nationality. The scribe wears the typical blue pantaloons and red cap worn by Cypriots. The three women are also in long pantaloons covered by a Cypriot sayia (kind of overcoat) on top. Their heads are covered with white kerchiefs and they appear to be telling their story to the scribe. The scene is imaginary: Most of the population at the time was illiterate and women would never be seen wandering among ruins. The scene alludes perhaps to the island’s past. The scribe in such a setting could be recording the history of Cyprus while the women take up the role of the ‘soul’ of the land.