The Lantern Maker's Courtship by W. Holman Hunt (original) (raw)

Cairo Street Scene: The Lantern Maker's Courtship

W. Holman Hunt

1854-1861

Oil on canvas

21 ½ x 13 ½inches (54.8 x 34,7 cm.)

Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery

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ArtUK Commentary

An exotic Eastern street scene, with a young lantern-maker in a long red coat and green turban, on the left, seated on a bench outside a workshop. Beside him stands a young woman in a long blue gown and gold Turkish slippers, the lower part of her face hidden by a black veil. The lantern maker is shown leaning forward with his hand outstretched, feeling her face beneath the veil. His other hand touches her wrist. Both the young man and the veiled young woman seem happy with the encounter, the woman curling her left foot up inside her slipper, the man smiling. Different types of lantern hang from hooks in the wall behind the lantern-maker, his equipment lies on the bench to one side. Beneath the bench a dog lies curled up asleep. A busy, narrow, street can be seen in the background, with a man in a top hat and a blue jacket, riding a donkey away from the viewer.

A servant runs after the donkey and its rider, who raises a whip at an oncoming local, leading a camel laden with goods, the native raising his arm to shield himself. Orange peel and a bulrush lie discarded on the dirt road.

Bibliography

Hunt, William Holman. Pre-Raphaelitism and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. 2 vols. New York: Macmillan, 1905.

Last modified 20 January 2022