Artist: José Tapiró i Baró (1836-1913)
Title: A Tangerian Beauty
Signed:
Medium: Watercolor/Aquarelle
Size: 26 x 18 1/2 in.
Spanish Orientalist
This image was provided by my Spanish artist friend Alejandro Cabeza
Tapiró Baró painted a number of Orientalist images, the result of time spent in Tangier, the Moroccan city just across the narrow Strait of Gibraltar, where he eventually died. In this vivid watercolor, the silken gleam of the headscarf, the glint of gold, the glow of pearls, and the careful study of a particular physiognomy contribute to the remarkable immediacy of the image. The frame is original to this work, and apart from several decorative motifs, contains the number 1309, which probably refers to the Muslim calendar of the Hegira, which started counting in 622 AD and commemorates the prophet Muhammed's departure from Mecca. If converted to the Gregorian calendar, the year would be about 1891 AD.
Source: Dahesh Museum
To see other works by this artist visit my José Tapiró i Baró blog.
