LADIES MINGLING IN THE GRAND BAZAAR
ATTRIBUTED TO AMADEO PREZIOSI (MALTA, 1816-1882)
Estimate: £6,000 - £8,000
Auction: 11 June 2025 from 10:00 BST
Description
watercolour on paper, framed and glazed
Dimensions
Sight size 48.7cm x 68.5cm
Footnote
Amadeo Preziosi (1816-1882) was a Maltese painter known for his vivid and detailed watercolors of the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire, and Romania. Preziosi studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, and eventually settled in Istanbul, where he set up his workshop and became ingrained in society, also contributing his time to the dragoman of the British Embassy and the Greek legation. He experienced success with his workshop here, which was often visited by tourists wishing to take souvenirs home. Notably, Edward VII visited and purchased several of his pieces.
His works have a draughtsman-like quality to them, yet his linework is handled in watercolour rather than a bold, opaque ink, which keeps his compositions soft and atmospheric. Ladies Mingling in the Grand Bazaar is representative of these qualities, with its precise colour-blocking and vivid tones. It also shares the detail-oriented characteristics of Preziosi’s other works, while maintaining the atmospheric and ethereal vein.
Portrait of a Turkish Beauty, attributed to Amadeo Preziosi, a drawing sold through Bonhams, The Travel and Exploration Sale, 6 December 2012, lot 131, appears to be a preparatory drawing of the same seated female figure dressed in white in the foreground of this finished watercolour, leaving us in no doubt that this painting is by Amadeo Preziosi.