His Highness Muhemed Ali, Pacha of Egypt (1769-1849). Sir David Wilkie (1785-1841). 1841. Oil paint on board. Support: 610 × 508 mm. Collection: Tate, bequeathed by the Earl of Effingham in 1927. Ref. no. N04276. Image kindly released by the gallery under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED. Commentary by Jacqueline Banerjee
According to the Tate's gallery label of October 2023, this distinguished Egyptian ruler "was a commander in the Ottoman army and had seized power after a civil war," and he "oversaw dramatic reforms of Egyptian military, economy and culture." Having asked Wilkie to paint his portrait, he presented himself "in traditional Islamic dress but sitting in a European chair and wearing a fez rather than the traditional turban.... This was Wilkie’s last painting, he fell ill and died on his journey back to Britain.
From his letter to his nephew at this time, it would seem that the portrait was not completely finished, or at least that he planned some refinements to it later (see Sutherland-Gower 80).
Links to Related Material
- Abd-ul-Mejid (1823-1861), Sultan of Turkey, by Wilkie
- Peace — Burial at Sea (J.M.W. Turner's memorial to his friend Wilkie)
- Egypt, Egyptologists, and Victorian Egyptomania
- Orientalism in Victorian Painting
Bibliography
His Highness Muhemed Ali, Pacha of Egypt (1769-1849). Tate. Web. 1 April 2024.
Sutherland-Gower, Lord Ronald. Sir David Wilkie. London: G. Bell & Sons, 1902. Internet Archive, from a copy in Cornell University Library. Web. 1 April 2024.
Created 1 April 2024