The watercolour was executed during the early years of British rule and portrays a young peasant of the eastern part of the island.
He is dressed in the typical Cypriot costume a full black vraka, high leather boots, a coarse striped gilet over a white shirt with no collar and carries the shepherd's bag, locally called vourka. This was made from sheep’s skin, decorated with beads and contained the shepherd’s frugal meal and water.
The young man is wearing the fez, a red cap from the Ottoman times which the Greeks of the island continued to wear until the first years of the 20th century.
PNT-00700 > H. Sperling (1844-1904), Peasant of Carpasi (man), print, 41 x 23 cm, 1880.
The 'Sneak Peek' series is supported by OPAP (Cyprus).
