LUDWIG DEUTSCH | A REFRESHING DRINK

Mathaf Gallery, London

Purchased from the above 

Caroline Juler, Najd Collection of Orientalist Paintings, London, 1991, p. 38, catalogued & illustrated, p. 41, cited

On the streets of old Cairo in the shade of a gnarled tree, a vendor spoons sahlab or salep into a cup for a fellaheen woman and her child, while a Nubian man and two seated girls drink thirstily. A traditional Egyptian drink popular in winter, sahlab was made by bringing to the boil a mixture of milk, sugar, and orchid tuber powder. The hydrating beverage, which is still enjoyed to this day, would then be served hot with a topping of cinnamon, coconut or nuts.

A related, earlier version of this work, painted in 1886, was sold at Christie’s London in 2005. For both versions, Deutsch would have relied on photographs of individual figures as study aids; however, in the finished compositions, these observations are blended seamlessly to bring the scene alive.