(Kettering 1849–1913 London)
A Market Scene before the Citadel in Cairo, signed Alfred East,
oil on canvas, 71 x 101.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Collection Webb C. Ball Company, Cleveland, Ohio (reverse old label);
Christie’s, New York, 21. May 1991, lot 78;
Private Collection Germany.

Compare:
Paul Johnson, Kenneth McConkey, Alfred East. Lyrical Landscape Painter, Samson & Co. 2009, p. 118.

We are grateful to Prof. Kenneth McConkey and Paul Johnson for their scientific assistance

The 12th-century Citadel of Cairo is situated on a hill in the east of the city and is one of the most striking structures in the cityscape. In the 19th century, the large alabaster mosque was built inside the complex. Today it is still considered an important city landmark.

In 1900 Cairo was a popular tourist destination - European tourists were attracted by the nearby pyramids of Giza, the Mediterranean Sea and its exotic atmosphere. The renowned British landscape painter Alfred East travelled to Cairo in 1889 and again in 1899, capturing his impressions predominantly in watercolours. Back in England, after his second stay, he created several versions of the Cairo Citadel. He was less concerned with representing the physical citadel, but rather, wanted to capture the atmosphere of the bustling market that took place on the forecourt. In 1901 and 1904 he showed vertical-format versions of this view at an exhibition of the Royal Academy in London. A third version in horizontal format is privately owned and published in the monograph by Paul Johnson and Kenneth McConkey on p. 118. The present lot is a very atmospheric and detailed fourth version - the monumental walls of the citadel, which glow in the reddish evening light, are merely the background for the pumpkins, melons and baskets of oranges spread out in the shade. The light blue and white robes of the figures become cooler accents in the foreground and create a link with the bluish shadows of the battlements in the background.