Creator:
Anonymous [Pars?]
Date:
18th century
Medium:
Places:
Description:
This octagonal watercolour of the end of the 18th century, exemplifies the Romantic era in art. The scene comes from the classical site of Amathus. Ruins of what must have once been an edifice provide the focal point of the picture, balanced on the right by a huge tree. It is near the shore as defined by two figures sailing in a boat. The watercolour falls within the period of the Grand Tour although Cyprus was never really part of it. The few artists who did visit the island, seeking out sites of classical antiquity, found most frequented by members of the local Moslem population. In this case, five figures in Ottoman attire and wearing fez seem to be picnicking next to the ruins. A seated man is smoking his tsibuk (long pipe) in the foreground while the figure next to him appears to be wearing a sheepskin cape indicating it is winter. Three more figures in the background, two seated cross-legged on the ground, are relaxing in the wooded surroundings and carrying on a conversation. This scene, like those by Luigi Mayer and Louis François Cassas, projects the classical civilization of Cyprus diluted by a somewhat intrusive Ottoman presence.
Dimensions:
33 x 38 cm (octagonal)
Signature(s):
Unsigned
Subject:
Identifier:
PNT-00025
Classification:
Collection:
Object Type:
Rights Holder:
© Costas and Rita Severis Foundation
Rights Statement:
The Costas and Rita Severis Foundation holds or manages the copyright(s) of this item and its digital reproduction. If you need information about using this item, please send an email to [email protected]
We're always looking to improve our records, so if you have any information about an object or recognize any of the people, locations, monuments in the photographs, please give us details in the form provided here.