With the High Commissioner in Cyprus

The focal point in the engraving is provided by the outline of the castle of Kantara, one of the four fortifications that appear on the Kyrenia mountain range. It is night, the angry sky attesting to winter. A number of captions offer glimpses to the encounters that the High Commissioner in Cyprus, Captain Robert Holden, had during a tour of inspection in the ‘distressed’ district of Carpas. The first caption on the top left corner depicts a local woman stepping out of her dwelling with burning incense in her hands to welcome the High Commissioner. Scenes like these must have struck an impression on the British at the time. The ritual use of incense burning in and outside the house was used by women in Cyprus to expel demonic forces from the domestic domain as well as to confer blessings upon those present. The High Commissioner accepts the blessing with a hand gesture which suggests that he was familiar with the ritually prescribed ways of responding to the offer. Anthropologically, the woman’s gesture represents a ritual means of symbolically ‘disarming’ an unknown intruder upon his arrival at her doorstep. Moving clockwise, the next caption portrays the silhouette of the eastern end of the Kyrenia mountains where Kantara castle lies. The next caption is quite interesting because it portrays the windmills in the Carpas which follow the style of those in the Aegean islands. Such windmills with sails are mentioned by Captain Moreno of a Spanish ship in the 18th century as existing in Larnaca harbour, and depicted by Benjamin Mary in 1844. This is the only other depiction known presently. The church of St. Iakovos at Trikomo village forms the next caption. The single domed church was admired by many visitors. In the early twentieth century, a replica of the church was constructed in Romania by Queen Marie in her summer residence. Next, the adverse conditions of a winter storm bringing havoc to a British camp are captured. The following caption depicts the British High Commissioner who always travelled around the island with an entourage, a scene depicted often by the first military artists in Cyprus. White tents signaling British campsites form the theme of the next caption. This is followed by what is perhaps the most interesting caption of all offering a rare glimpse into the process of hearing complaints by villagers. The setting is almost complete in revealing the power hierarchies of the island at the time. The British colonial notables appear under the shade of a tree with the most senior of them sitting at the front. Just opposite the British, but at a distance, the Christian and Moslem clergy also appears sitting on chairs. The villagers, both Greek and Turkish, sit on the ground cross-legged, forming a circle. Somewhere in the middle, stands an interpreter who facilitates communication between the locals and the British authorities. A village priest features in the next caption wearing baggy trousers and his robes on top. His appearance is rather rustic yet he is wearing the official head gear of the Greek Orthodox priesthood. The last caption shows a mishap of army horses running loose.