(Busseto 1826–1899 Cavoretto) Market Day, signed, dated A. Pasini 1873, watercolour on cardboard, 54 x 32 cm, framed, (GG)

Provenance: Private collection, Italy

While the architecture cannot be identified as belonging to a specific setting, the form of the building seems likely to indicate the entrance of a mosque. The artist was indeed fascinated with architecture and often incorporated architectural elements such as a mosque, a door or an archway in his work. These depictions of mosques, desert encampments and market scenes proved immensely popular with collectors. He painted a great number of Constantinople market scenes, often with a minaret in the background which was a recurring motif for the artist.

He travelled to Persia as well as Turkey, Egypt and Syria. In 1873, when the present lot was painted, the artist resided in Bursa, a city in northwestern Turkey renowned for its beautiful mosques and ceramic tiles which were so important to him. Pasini was fascinated with the light and colour of the East, as demonstrated in the bright blue sky of the present lot. In the foreground he has depicted a group of Circassian soldiers dressed in brown hues next to a group in colourful dress. The artist captured the everyday life and culture of the East.

Compare: Christie’s New York, 22 October 2008, lot 65, sale of 19th Century European Art and Orientalist Art.