(Masi 1854–1929 San Remo)
Bayram, signed F. Zonaro, oil on canvas, 52 x 78 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private Collection before 1930;
Sotheby’s London, 21 April 2015, lot 2;
Acquired from the above from the present owner -
European Private Collection.

Catalogued and illustrated in:
Erol Makzume, The Sultan’s Italian court painter Fausto Zonaro, 2001, p. 129.

We are grateful to Erol Makzume for kindly confirming the authenticity on the basis of the original. This work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné edited by Erol Makzume and Cesare Trevigne.

The present lot depicts the celebrations of Eid al-Fitr, the feast that marks the end of Ramadan fast. It begins at sunset on the night of the first sighting of the crescent moon. The feast is celebrated for one to three days and often includes sweet dishes, since it comes after a month of fasting. In the present composition people are dancing with their best clothes on, often purchased specifically for the occasion. They are accompanied by a group of musicians. A print of this work was included in Fausto Zonaro and Adolphe Thalasso’s publication Déri Sé’adet ou Stamboul Porte du Bonheur. Scènes de la vie turque, published in Paris in 1908 (see Osman Öndeş & Erol Makzume, Fausto Zonaro: Ottoman Court Painter, Istanbul, 2003, p.351).

Fausto Zonaro was appointed court painter to the last Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II in 1896 and became a teacher at the School of Fine Arts founded by Osman Hamdy Bey. His depiction of every facet of Turkish life including religious festivals, cityscapes and market scenes have made him the most respected painter of Turkish culture and subjects.