THE TURKISH SCRIPTORIUM

CARL WERNER TRAINED AT THE LEIPZIG ACADEMY UNDER THE GREAT NAZARENE MASTER SCHNORR VON CAROLSFELD BEFORE TRAVELLING TO ITALY IN 1831. IT WAS HERE THAT HE MADE HIS HOME FOR THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS AND, AT THE SAME TIME, HIS REPUTATION AS ONE OF THE FOREMOST EUROPEAN WATERCOLOURISTS. AN INVETERATE TRAVELLER, WERNER'S MANY VISITS TO ENGLAND, WHERE HE EXHIBITED REGULARLY AT THE NEW WATERCOLOUR SOCIETY, WERE INTERSPERSED WITH JOURNEYS TO EGYPT (SEE LOT 201) AND PALESTINE. THE GREATEST TESTAMENT TO HIS TIME IN THE EAST IS CARL WERNER'S NILE SKETCHES, PUBLISHED IN 1875.

THE THEME OF SCHOLARS STUDYING LEARNED TEXTS WAS A POPULAR ONE FOR ORIENTALIST ARTISTS. INDEED, WERNER'S SENSITIVE HANDLING OF THE SUBJECT TAKES THE TURKISH SCRIPTORIUM BEYOND THE SIMPLE RECORDING OF A COLOURFUL, EASTERN CURIO INTO A MORE SERIOUS AND SENSITIVE DEPICTION OF THE RIGOURS OF STUDY.