Description
An original 1888 pen & ink drawing, Tristram James Ellis, Rumeli Fortress, Istanbul, Turkey. A fine ink drawing at Istanbul, Turkey by Tristram James Ellis (1844-1922). Ellis was known for his paintings of the Middle East & eastern Mediterranean. Rumeli Hisarı, meaning 'Fortress in the land of the Romans', (also known as Roumeli Hissar Castle) is an Ottoman fortress dating to 1452. Situated on the European banks of the Bosphorus, Ellis here shows a view looking from the fortress towards the river, with oxen ploughing in the foreground. On buff-coloured paper. Tristram James Ellis (1844-1922) was born at Great Malvern, the son of the mathematician & philologist Alexander John Ellis. At school he excelled at mathematics & initially he studied Applied Sciences, at King's College, London. He won all the scholarships offered by the college & was awarded the Associateship of King's College after only two years' study, in recognition of his exceptional achievements. He went on to work for the railway engineer Sir John Fowler & became a partner in a firm of engineers. After several years, however, Ellis decided that his calling lay in art & he left the engineering profession to devote his time to painting. He became a student of Léon Bonnat in Paris, exhibited at the Royal Academy, & embarked on a period of travel. in 1878 he visited Cyprus, then the following year he boarded a steamship for Alexandria. His ambitious journey took him from the Syrian coast, overland to Diyarbakır in southeast Turkey & then by raft down the Tigris to Mosul & Baghdad in Iraq. From Baghdad, he travelled overland to Palmyra & Damascus in Syria & then to Beirut, Lebanon. After his return, he showed about ninety sketches from his travels, which sold immediately. Ellis also wrote a two-volume illustrated account of his trip, 'On a Raft, & Through the Desert', which was published in 1881. Further trips included visiting Egypt in the spring of 1882, & several years later, travelling to the eastern Mediterranean, where he had three sketches selected by George I of Greece at Athens. Later, he made three visits to the Arctic, including to Spitzbergen, & also returned to the Mediterranean. Ellis was elected an associate of the Royal Society of Painter Etchers in 1887, & he exhibited frequently in London from 1868 to 1893. His works can be found in the V&A, British Museum & National Portrait Gallery, London. Some age toning & marks as shown. Tiny loss to the lower right corner of the sheet & small nicks at the right edge & lower edge. Please see photos for detail. There are historic adhesive marks to the verso, from previous mounting. Tristram James Ellis, Rumeli Fortress, Istanbul, Turkey - 1888 Pen & Ink Drawing
