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Man seated on a drum smoking a hookah

Maker

(artist)
1702-1789

Title

Date of Production

1748 - 1753

Medium

red, black and white chalk on laid paper, laid down on a support

Dimensions

Height: 40.6 cm
Width: 25.3 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.4340

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords

Label Text

The Swiss artist Jean-Étienne Liotard lived in Istanbul from 1738 to 1742. There, he adopted Turkish clothing and called himself “the Turkish painter”. In this work, using only red, black and white chalks, Liotard renders the figure of the man smoking with extraordinary realism. The artist was known for his attention to detail, and a technique he called “l’élimination des
touches”, a fine application of colour without visible traces of the artist’s hand. The careful
rendering of clothing here may have provided a reference for his many portraits of European notables in Ottoman dress.

Provenance

Christie's (London), 29 July 1949; purchased there by B. Barnett (or was it his sale at Christie's?); purchased from him by Colnaghi (London) the same day; purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), 11 February 1950 (£60); Witt Bequest 1952

Exhibition History

Drawing on Arabian Nights, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 22/02/2023-04/06/2023

Master Drawings from the Witt and Courtauld Collections, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, 17/11/1962-22/12/1962

Drawings by Old Masters, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1953

Literature

Anthony Blunt and Philip Troutman, Master Drawings from the Witt and Courtauld Collections, 1962
cat. no. 100

Drawings by Old Masters, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1953
cat. no. 404

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: unable to see clearly due to support.

Inscription: Support (historic), Verso: upper left, graphite: “101”; lower right, graphite, unclear: “Supposed Ca[…] / seated on a mar[…]”; lower right corner, graphite, inventory number of Colnaghi: “A16699”.

Collector's mark: Support (historic), Verso: lower left corner, stamped in black ink: Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b).

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