Featured Orientalist Watercolour

This nicely painted watercolour is after an engraving by Pierre Marie Beyle . I thought it was unsigned but on removing from the frame there appears to be a date 1885 on the sword scabbard on the wall . There may be initials before the date


Does anybody have any ideas on the artist?

 

The French Wiki page doesn't have much information:
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre-Marie_Beyle

In short, Beyle was a painter and illustrator who is best known for paintings of everyday life. He loved to paint in Normandy.

But your watercolour is clearly not situated in Normandy. Maybe it was made for a book illustration?

 

Found a North African link. The Moroccan man could be Algerian? Also more info on Beyle:

"Pierre-Marie Beyle (1838-1902) was born in Lyon. He came to Paris to follow his studies, and in 1865, he became a freelance illustrator, working for five years to humorous periodicals. Then he painted circus scenes, captured along the way while following itinerant troubadours, and presented for the first time his works at the Salon of 1867. Following a trip to Algeria in the 1870s, Beyle sent to the Salon his paintings to be exhibited, including historical events and pictures on the theme : the Casbah of Algiers. At the Salon of 1877, the artist exhibited two paintings, including this one Bazaar, at the Casbah of Algiers and Yamina, a Moorish of Algiers. In 1878, he presented The Adornment of the bride. The Parisian painter then focused on Normandy, where his main subjects were the Dieppe coast and the lives of fishermen. Beyle participated in the Universal Exhibition of 1900 and still sent works to the Salon until 1902."

https://toboganantiques.com/en/artistes/pierre-marie-beyle-en/

 

Thank you. I don’t think it is by Beyle as he doesn’t appear to have done watercolours but the artist had certainly seen Beyle’s etching.

 

Any chance there’s a signature hiding down to the right, against the wall?

 

Thanks. I’ll check that out later

 

I see writing under the last 3 columns on the right. It’s definitely signed.

 

Here's your image back John, with both places marked, but very hard to see stuff....you yourself may do a lot better....it's the kind of image you might see writing anywhere!!!! The sword scabbard does look like it definitely says "BL" after the 1850 date....now you all can look and see if you see anything in the two areas you pointed out!!! OH, and in the LOWER RED box, also look higher on the wall WITHIN the box....it too looks like writing up there!!! MY eyeballs are DONE for now!!!!

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The etching and the engraving appear to be identical images, not counting the coloration.

 

I’ve had a good look. It’s possible but I don’t think it is a signature. Will have to remain a mystery but it is a very good copy of the etching.

 

I am pretty sure that the watercolour is a copy of the etching. It is definitely hand drawn and coloured - see the full piece out of the frame. There are pin holes where the artist pinned it to his or her easel.

 

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Other than enlarging 4X, all I did was re-mark what I saw as possibilities in the lower left and lower right.........Good Luck, John!!

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@John Brassey , the features of the figure appear to be exactly the same as the etching, but it is too small for me to be certain. I can see the artist's sketched pencil marks in the background for the wall hangings are very flat and non-dimensional. The background doesn't possess quality of painting proficiency, and the figure that has no pencil markings that I can see. Can you see any?

The background and the figure don't appear to be painted by the same artist? No idea if they are or not. The figure is a good copy, but the background doesn't match.

 

I think the background is deliberately flat and not detailed to keep the emphasis on the figure. I took out the colour and you can see traces of pencil outlines especially on the right. I am going to sell it as an unattributed copy. It’s a nice quality painting but the phone heightened the colours which are not as bright unless well lit.

 

Selling it as unattributed will allow freedom from all of this speculation!