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Constantinople
(18th and 19th Centuries )
In his view of Venice (Walters 37.942), Ziem included an artist in a gondola before his easel-a testament of sorts to the idea of fidelity to nature. Ziem was known to have maintained such a "floating studio," leading some scholars to identify him as a proto-impressionist. But the artist did not remain true to nature in this particular scene. Although this watercolor bears the title "Constantinople," it is not an accurate view of the city. Rather, it is a composite of Eastern motifs. Ziem traveled through Turkey in 1847 and 1858 and was certainly familiar with its capital. The combination of minarets and low domes is indeed Turkish, but the elongated facades and pink and white striated architecture are characteristic of Egypt. Here, Ziem has given us a warm, golden light more in keeping with Venetian subjects than Turkish ones. In addition, William Walters commissioned this watercolor and two others in September 1863 when Ziem was in France, paying 2,500 francs for all three of them. The artist, then, could not have been working "en plein air," but composing from memory and studies made during his earlier trips.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Commissioned by William T. Walters (through George A. Lucas as agent), Baltimore, September 21, 1863 [1]; inherited by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
[1] The Diary of George A. Lucas, p. 162.
Exhibitions
| 2005-2006 | The Essence of Line: French Drawings from Ingres to Degas. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma. |
| 1987-1988 | The Orientalists. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1983 | A Connoisseur's Portfolio: Nineteenth-century Drawings and Watercolors in the Walters Art Gallery. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1979 | A Baltimorean in Paris: George A. Lucas, 1860-1909. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1979 | A Supple Brush: The Flowering of Continental Watercolors. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 11/10/1978 | Examination | examined for exhibition |
| 1/1/2002 | Treatment | examined for exhibition; repaired; re-housed; mounted; other |
Geographies
France (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Overall: 9 5/16 × 13 1/2 in. (23.7 × 34.3 cm)
Framed: H: 20 × W: 23 7/8 × D: 2 5/16 in. (50.8 × 60.6 × 5.9 cm)
Credit Line
Commissioned by William T. Walters, 1863
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.948