The Landgate - Inside Famagusta
Creator:
Drake, Francis Milverton (b. 1882)
Date:
1934
Medium:
Inscriptions:
Inscribed: Landgate inside Famagusta 1934
Description:
This is one of a series of etchings done by F. Milveton Drake, who was invited to Cyprus by the administration as an engineer to help with a project. Drake gave special attention to the fortification of Famagusta and Nicosia. The etching shows the interior aspect of Famagusta Gate next to the Revelin bastion. Greeks were already permitted in the town mostly in pursuit of pecuniary profit from the sale of goods in the streets – the figure of a peddler riding a donkey loaded with two wicker baskets attests to the very fact. The posture of a woman who appears seated on a stone mound is imbued with meaning. The upper part of the seated lady smacks of traditionalist and quasi-religious representations of the motherly figure. The lower part, however, carries rather different gender connotations. Her legs are crossed in the elegant and slightly playful fashion of urbanite femininity, marking a contrast to the peasant outlook of Cypriot women and signifying the beginning of western influences in bodily representations. The gentleman walking ahead of the peddler also appears in western fashions and in direct contrast to the rural imagery posed by a man riding a donkey and carrying wicker baskets.
Dimensions:
21 x 27 cm
Signature(s):
Signed in lower right recto: F. Milverton Drake. FRIBA
Alternative Title:
The Land gate - Inside Famagusta
Identifier:
PNT-00170
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 research@severis.org
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