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Iskander Bey and His Servant

ca. 1848
Not on view
This steely-eyed boy dressed in ceremonial Albanian military uniform was the son of Sulayman Pasha al-Faransawi. The latter had been born in France as Octave-Joseph-Anthelme Sève, served under Napoleon, then moved to Egypt to help modernize its army. He eventually converted to Islam, changed his name, and married a Greek woman. This portrait of their son communicates the family’s status at the top of Egyptian society; the boy, attended by a Nubian holding a rifle, sits ramrod straight and prepares to draw his sword. Lewis reached Egypt in 1841 and remained for nearly a decade to record the region’s dress, architecture, and customs. An earlier version of this portrait, inscribed 1848, shows the attendant with a horsehair whisk instead of a peacock-feather fan.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Iskander Bey and His Servant
  • Artist: John Frederick Lewis (British, London 1804–1876 Walton-on-Thames)
  • Sitter: Iskandar Bey (Mohamed el Mahdy) (Egyptian, born 1836)
  • Date: ca. 1848
  • Medium: Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor) over graphite
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 20 in. × 14 1/2 in. (50.8 × 36.8 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2019
  • Object Number: 2019.138.5
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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Arab School, John Frederick Lewis British, Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor) over black chalk on brownish paper
Arab School
John Frederick Lewis
1841–51
Study for "The Pipe Bearer", John Frederick Lewis British, Watercolor, gouache (bodycolor) and black chalk on gray paper
Study for "The Pipe Bearer"
John Frederick Lewis
1841–51
Two Camels, John Frederick Lewis British, Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor) over black chalk on brownish paper
Two Camels
John Frederick Lewis
ca. 1843
The Lake of Zug, Joseph Mallord William Turner British, Watercolor and bodycolor (gouache) with reductive techniques over graphite
The Lake of Zug
Joseph Mallord William Turner
1843
Sabrina, Samuel Palmer British, Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor) over graphite, with reductive techniques, shell gold and gum arabic
Sabrina
Samuel Palmer
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