Paul Joanowitch

Sale: Christie's, London, 18 March 1994, lot 178 (as The Arnaut Warrior)
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Arnauts, or bashi-bazouks, were irregulars in the Ottoman army recruited in Serbia and Albania, then part of the Ottoman empire. The strain on the Ottoman feudal system caused by the Empire's wide expanse required heavier reliance on irregular soldiers. They were armed and maintained by the government, but did not receive pay and did not wear uniforms or distinctive badges, preferring to dress in their own distinctive local costume comprising a red tunic and white kilt. Because not formally trained, they could not serve in major military operations, but were useful for other tasks such as reconnaissance and outpost duty.

Joanowitch studied at the Vienna Academy under Karl Leopold Müller. His patrons included King Alexander of Serbia. He exhibited in Vienna, Munich, and Berlin, where his meticulously observed Montenegrin and Albanian subjects, particularly of warriors and bashi-bazouks, met with international acclaim, prized by English and American collectors alike.