Name/Title
Mediterranean View, Domed ChurchEntry/Object ID
2018.08.23Description
Painting
This coastal landscape depicts a view of a domed stone church with a small sailing boat at the edge of a river or sea. Several people have disembarked from the boat and are approaching an entrance door, one with a bright blue scarf and several others remain on board. Other buildings, one domed, can be seen in the distance, some across the water. It is a carefully observed scene, and considerable effort has been made to provide landscape and architectural detail.
This church may well be a mosque as a minaret appears to be part of or next to the building, and is a characteristic feature of this architecture generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer and also to serve as a landmark and symbol of Islam's presence.
The boat is likely a felucca, a traditional wooden open-decked shallow-draught sailing boat with one or two sails used in the Mediterranean, along the Nile River in Egypt and around Malta and Tunisia.Artwork Details
Medium
Watercolour on paperContext
This watercolour may have been done as part of a "Grand Tour", an educational rite of passage for the young sons, and later daughters, of the wealthy, popular from the mid-1600s and peaking in the later 1900s. The aim was to offer an extensive exploration of the finest cities, ancient landmarks and archaeological sites. The tour was intended to prepare them for élite life by enhancing their classical studies, honing their social skills, making social and maybe business connections and providing enlightenment.
The tour was generally planned with a standard itinerary and a chaperone or guide and undertaken by upper class British and Northern European young men and later women through Europe and sometimes beyond, with Italy as a key destination. Similar trips were also later made by wealthy young men of South and North America. The popularity of the tour declined as enthusiasm for classical culture diminished, and with the arrival of accessible rail and steamship travel. The tour phenomenon transformed the cultural landscape of Great Britain and other countries and, ultimately, the travel industry as we know it today.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Signed D.H.Role
PainterDate made
n.d.Time Period
19th Century, 20th CenturyNotes
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Further research is needed.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
SignatureLocation
Signed lower centre: D.H.Dimensions
Dimension Description
Visible imageHeight
16.5 cmWidth
21.6 cm