Musical Hour
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Research by Gerard Curley and Marjorie Gregson
Acc No 46
Artist Achille Buzzi Artist dates fl. c1870 Medium watercolour Size 71.1 x 50.8 cm (28 x 20 in) Date painted unknown Inscr: signed Donor Ellen Halstead 1872-1953 271 Church Road, Lytham St Annes Date donated 18 December 1944 |
PAINTING
This richly colourful painting depicts a young girl in traditional 19th century Syrian dress playing a Syrian qanun, a zither-like instrument, accompanied by her companion who sings and plays a riq, a type of Arabic tambourine. A man in period Arabic costume, smoking a hookah, sits on a sumptuous couch next to a woman, possibly his concubine, waving a leaf-shaped fan. The scene depicts a richly decorated room with a large patterned middle-eastern carpet and a curtain, highly patterned with Arabic lettering, which is pulled back from the entrance to reveal the garden, where a palm tree is visible. Behind the seated couple is an ornately carved piece of wooden furniture, displaying crossed daggers and traditional pots. Intriguing, is the hexagon decoration at the top, seen in the west as the Judaic Star of David but in Islam this represents Solomon' s Seal; Solomon was the son of David and an Islamic prophet. This painting is one of a series of similar scenes attributed to Buzzi. ARTIST Very little is known about the artist although several sources state that he was a 19th century Italian artist. He was a prolific painter, proficient in watercolour and gouache with his works frequently appearing in sales across the world. A narrative painter, he had a broad repertoire which included oriental scenes, religious figures as well as romantic and domestic pictures. Examples of his work: . In the Harem sold at Sothebys in 2011 for 3750USDs 
Friars
The Love Letter sold at Christies in 2000 for £881
A Playful Moment signed 'A Buzzi' (LL)
watercolour 53 x 36 cm - Bonhams, The Chester Sale 2011 Other titles include: A Serious Discussion with the Cardinal Courtly Love The Swiss Guard An Oriental Carpet Merchant Afternoon Serenade 
Achille Buzzi - signature
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