Orientalist watercolour painting of a desert scene by Mielich

This superb watercolour is by the Austrian Orientalist artist Alphons Leopold Mielich. The painting depicts an Arab man riding a camel, the pair positioned centrally amidst a more distant crowd of seated figures. The scene is located in a desert, perhaps by the edge of an oasis: verdant trees line the horizon, but the entirety of the fore- and middle-ground is comprised entirely of sand. The blanched blue sky above contrasts beautifully with the earthy tone of the sand. The work is painted in vibrant colours evocative of the desert and is executed in an accomplished and fluid painterly manner.

Mielich was celebrated in his own day, and has been celebrated since, for his Orientalist scenes. Born near Vienna in 1863, Mielich travelled extensively in the Middle East, particularly from 1889 upon his retirement from the military due to ill health. Mielich would travel to the Middle East on many more occasions during the remainder of his life, painting works such as the present piece.

The painting is contained within a giltwood frame and is signed lower left ‘A. L. Mielich’.

Frame: Height 46cm, width 41cm, depth 4cm
Sheet: Height 25cm,.width 20cm