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 28 x 20 in (71.1 x 50.8 cm) Date painted Unknown Inscr: Signed Donor Ellen Halstead 1872-1953 271 Church Road, Lytham St Annes Date donated 18 December 1944 |
THE 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 colourful curtain with Arabic lettering pulled back from the entrance through which a palm 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. The painting is one of a series of similar scenes attributed to the same artist. THE 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. His works frequently appear in sales across the world. A narrative painter, his common themes were oriental scenes, religious figures, romantic and domestic scenes. Examples of his work- In the Harem sold at Sothebys in 2011 for 3,750 USD 
Friars
The Love Letter sold at Christies in 2000 for £881
A Playful Moment signed ‘A. Buzzi’ (lower left)
watercolour 53 x 36cm - 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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