‘The Pasha of Egypt’, after the 'Caravane du Sultan a La Mecque’ series by Joseph-Marie Vien (1716-1809)

This portrait is inspired by an engraving titled 'Bacha d’Egypte', as part of a compilation by Royal Academy of Painting’s member Joseph-Marie Vien (1716-1809) dedicated to Jean Francois de Troy, Director of the French Academy in Rome (available online: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8452132c/f22.item). The engravings in this book commemorate a Turkish masquerade held by a group of residents at the Academy during the Carnival of Rome in 1748. Published in Paris the same year, the work depicts the costumes and figures that composed the event. The etching after which the present portrait was produced is published as the sixth plate.