Reproduced with a quasi-photographic attention to detail, markets, bazaars and cafés were a continuous source of inspiration for Orientalist artists and offered contemporary audiences in the West an exotic yet faithful view of street life in Turkey and the Middle East. Take a look below at three works from the upcoming Orientalist Sale (24 April, London) at three different price points.
ADDISON THOMAS MILLAR, AN EASTERN SHOP. ESTIMATE £8,000-12,000.
1. Addison Thomas Millar, An Eastern Shop.
Estimate £8,000-12,000.
Rugs and arms merchants were a recurring motif in Orientalist art. In the present work, a passer-by carefully examines a flintlock rifle at a merchant’s stall exhibiting highly ornamented carpets.
RAPHAEL VON AMBROS, MERCHANT BEFORE THE SABIL OF NAFISA AL-BAYDA, CAIRO. ESTIMATE £60,000-80,000.
2. Raphael von Ambros, Merchant Before the Sabil of Nafisa Al-Bayda, Cairo. Estimate £60,000-80,000.
Among the masterpieces of late Ottoman architecture in Cairo, the Sabil of Nafisa al-Bayda remains visible to anyone entering the city from the south. It has always attracted the attention of travellers, writers and visitors alike.
ALBERTO PASINI, MARKET IN CONSTANTINOPLE. ESTIMATE £150,000-200,000.
3. Alberto Pasini, Market in Constantinople.
Estimate £150,000-200,000.
Distinguished by the artist's fine draughtsman and a vivid palette, the exact setting of Pasini’s Market in Constantinople is not known. However it may have been inspired by the entrance to the Mısır Çarşısı, also called the Egyptian or Spice Bazaar.
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