Watercolour, `Dervish of Bokhara with Inkhorn and Diak' [Dayak], 1850-1860. Possibly by Amadeo, 5th Count Preziosi

Watercolour drawing

Purchased with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund, Shell International and the Friends of the V&A

According to Rodney Searight: - `Bt. from N. Vilag, April 1966, £14 [with SD.836 and SD.842 and SD.844]'

A dayak is a prop, aiding a dervish's meditation. Cf. "An imam or priest", Christie's album. See below.
Demand for Preziosi's oriental characters was such that several examples exist in more than one version. Three large groups of these single figure studies are known. One is in the VAM, DPD (D.14-D.47-1907) and can be dated c.1843 (see VAM, Constantinople, 1985, pp.42-5); another is in the BM, PD (197 b.15), in an album commissioned by Robert Curzon (1810-1873), later 14th Baron del la Zouche, titled and dated Costumes of Constantinople 1844 (see VAM, Constantinople, 1985, pp.8, 23 n.14, 42); the other is in an album, titled and dated Turkish Costumes [...] 1851, sold at Christie's, 25.6.87 (132). (See lists in Searight Archive).
SD.838-SD.844 are all versions of images in one or more of these groups. Because they are unsigned and of variable quality it is difficult to ascertain whether they are copies by Preziosi himself or copies by an artist (or artists) working in his studio, or even, as probably in the case of SD.1171, by a visitor to Constantinople. No names of Preziosi's studio assistants are recorded, although one of his daughters, Mathilde, is known to have produced watercolours in his style: her signature appears on a female figure study in the Royal Collection, Sandringham (S 587). In addition amateur artists also imitated his manner and style: see H.H. Morant (SD.675 & SD.676).

SD.843