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Charles Robertson was born in Walton-on-Thames, England, but lived for a period of his life in Aix-en-Provenance, southern France, and Italy. Despite this he never lost his contacts with Britian, frequently sending works to exhibition at the Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Academy. He must also have travelled extensively in northen Africa, for many of his are subjects set in Algeria, Morocco, Egypt and the Middle East. In these Orientalist paintings he dealt with the rituals of religion and warfare, as well as painting genre subjects set in cities and in the desert. Contemporary reviews of these works claimed that 'the varied textures of costly robes, turbans, tiles, carpets deserve all the praise which Mr Robertson has gernerally won for his treatment of similar themes.' The present group of watercolours and paintings is an interesting example of Robertson's devotion to Oriental subjects and displays his innate interest in diverse cultures. The Wailing Wall, Jerusalem is an extraordinary example of Robertson's deep empathy for a different religion and its customs. A closer look at Flower market in Damascus shows us that Robertson was a genius in observing the atmosphere of a place and in analysing native customs. We can also see, in this painting, how much he varied his technique in this work using bodycolour to build up the flowers in the foreground, with the trees in a more archetypal watercolour behind them. Robertson began his artistic career as an oil-painter, only in the last decade of his life working with watercolours, a skill at which he became so accomplished that after only five years he was elevted to the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours. As a waterclourist, he was noted for his versatility and attention to detail, characteristics which show the stylistic influence of his friend Birket Foster (1825-1899). Robertson died at the height of his career, aged 47. A posthumous report in the Daily Graphic wrote of him: 'The exhibition of drawings by the late Charles Robertson at the Gallery of the Fine Art Society in Bond Street effectually demonstrates the loss the art world has sustained by his early death nearly a year ago.'

Charles Robertson (British, 1844-1891)

An oriental merchant

Details

Charles Robertson (British, 1844-1891)
An oriental merchant
oil on canvas
17 x 23¼ in. (43.2 x 59 cm.)

Provenance

The late Bridget M. Robertson, the artist's granddaughter.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

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