Abram Incab Messir
Wilkie reenergized British genre painting before travelling to Turkey and the Holy Land in 1840 to seek new subjects. His death on shipboard on the return journey was a blow to artist contemporaries. This vivid portrait of a Turkish official belongs to a series of Middle Eastern subjects that are considered Wilkie’s culminating achievement as a draftsman. To convey the sitter’s authority, the artist adopted a low viewpoint, and combined chalks and watercolors to create a glowing effect. A journal entry made in Smyrna (modern Izmir, Turkey) indicates that the artist began the commission on January 27, 1841, while an inscription on this sheet confirms completion two days later. The artist typically made such portraits in pairs—letting the patron choose one and retaining the other (the version that belonged to Wilkie is now at the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford).
Artwork Details
- Title: Abram Incab Messir
- Artist: Sir David Wilkie (British, Cults, Scotland 1785–1841 off Gibraltar)
- Date: 1841
- Medium: Colored chalks and watercolor with white gouache (bodycolor) on gray paper
- Dimensions: sheet: 17 x 11 1/4 in. (43.2 x 28.5 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Purchase, Anne and Jean Bonna Gift and Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2003
- Object Number: 2003.104
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Sir David Wilkie
1824
Sir David Wilkie
ca. 1815
Sir David Wilkie
before 1841
Multiple artists/makers
1823
Sir David Wilkie
Frederick Bacon
1838
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Free to download
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.