Joseph Austin Benwell,
British 1816-1886-
A desert... Lot 257
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Joseph Austin Benwell,
British 1816-1886-
A desert caravan;
pencil, watercolour, and bodycolour on paper, signed and dated 'J A BENWELL 1873' (lower right), 24.9 x 46.6 cm.
Note:
The present work is an instantly recognisable example of Benwell's Orientalist watercolours, depicting a caravan of camels carrying figures through a mountainous desert landscape, a typical subject for the artist. In the present composition, the maternal connotations of the central female figure with her two children is echoed by the calf which accompanies the camel upon which she sits.
Benwell entered the service of the East India Company in the 1840s, after which he travelled widely, visiting India, China, Egypt, and Palestine by the late 1860s. This experience had a transformative impact on Benwell's approach, with his subsequent output consisting almost exclusively of scenes set in the Middle Eastern landscape, like the present work. Benwell was also known as a prolific illustrator, working for a range of publications including 'Illustrated London News' and 'Cornhill Magazine'.
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