The Arab chief

John Anster Fitzgerald achieved fame for his surreal fairy paintings and for his deftly rendered portraits. Whilst the sitter in the present work remains unknown, Fitzgerald depicts the Arab chief with gravitas and sincerity, allowing his form to dominate the painting. This portrait was exhibited by Fitzgerald in the Royal Society of British Artists in 1882, at a time when interest in portraits was building in popularity. The year previously the Society of Portrait Painters had been formed in London.