The Inauguration Of The Suez Canal

Details

Mahmoud Said (Egyptian, 1897-1964)
The Inauguration Of The Suez Canal
signed and dated 'M. SAID 1947' (lower right); signed, titled and dated 'MAHMOUD SAID "Inauguration du canal de Suez" 1947' (on the reverse)
oil on canvas board
8 x 15¾in. (20 x 39.8cm.)
Painted in 1947

Literature

Esmat Dawastashy, Mahmoud Said (in Arabic), Cairo, 1997, no.177 in the list of known works (illustrated in colour).
Sobhy Al-Sharouny, A Museum in a Book: The Farsi Art Collection "The Egyptian Works" Owned by Dr. Mohammed Said Farsi, Cairo, 1998 (illustrated in colour, p.106 and illustrated p.94 ref 35/31).

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Lot Essay

The Suez Canal, the artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt which connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, was a triumph of nineteenth century engineering. Constructed on concession from Sa'id Pasha by the firm of Ferdinand de Lesseps, it was conceived as a waterway for all nations. Following excavations which lasted more than ten years and involving over 30,000 labourers at any given period, it opened on 17 November 1869 by French Empress Eugenie in the imperial yacht Aigle, it quickly transformed global navigation.

The present work is a small-scale sketch for a monumental painting of the same subject currently in the Mahmoud Said Museum in Alexandria.

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