Antique Orientalist oil painting of the walled city of Fez
£15,000
With warm tones of blue and ochre, the artist of this signed and dated oil painting has beautifully captured the falling of dusk over mid-19th Century Fez.
Set below low distant hills, the walled city of Fez in Morocco dominates the centre ground of the composition, sprawling behind its defensive walls from one edge of the frame to the other. The low perspective of the viewer emphasises the impressive height of the walls, which enclose a city of palm trees and minarets. The scene is illuminated from the left by low, racking sunlight, reflected by the ochre walls and minarets of the city and the left flank of the background hills. Figures populate the scene in small groups and in caravans of camels, carrying trade goods to and from the city. The entire composition is evocative of mid-19th Century Morocco, and the romantic, early evening character of the scene is enhanced by the warm, subdued palette of burnt oranges and turquoise blues employed by the artist.
The painting is signed indistinctly, dated '1864', and labelled 'Fez'.