In “Travelling on the Bosphorus”, Fausto Zonaro depicts a moment of elegant daily life aboard a boat sailing through the waters of the Istanbul strait. In the foreground, a young veiled woman sits in a composed pose, while other passengers and glimpses of the sea can be seen behind her. Furthermore, the wooden structure of the deck and the opening towards the sea create an airy yet intimate scene.
Zonaro, a painter from Verona who moved to Constantinople in 1891, became court painter to Sultan Abdülhamid II. Therefore, his production is deeply connected to the Ottoman context, which he observed directly and attentively. However, compared with his large celebratory compositions, here he adopts a more everyday and private register. The scene is not emphatic; on the contrary, it captures a fragment of travel and modern life.
The brushwork is loose and luminous, while the warm tones of the dress interact with the pale reflections of the veil. Furthermore, natural light models the volumes without making them rigid, creating a balance between figure and setting. Consequently, the work combines the Orientalist interest in the Ottoman context with a sensitivity focused on the narrative and atmospheric dimension.
Description: Oil on canvas, signed lower left Zonaro, H 40×66 cm.
Hammer Price: € 167.280,00
Auction 3 – October 24th 2014 – ANTIQUES, OLD MASTER PAINTINGS AND 19TH- AND 20TH-CENTURY PAINTINGS
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