Felix Bonfils (1831-1885) "whirling Dervishes In Damascus" Circa 1870, Vintage Albumen Print

Vintage albumen print, signed in the plate, circa 1870. Portrait of two whirling dervishes from Damascus in traditional costume posing in a workshop. A very fine and rare print of this Orientalist subject. The whirling dervishes of Damascus belong to the Mawlawiyya Sufi order, founded by the Persian poet Jalal al-Din Rumi. Their ritual, called "Sema," is a ceremony in which the dancers spin, one hand towards the sky and the other towards the earth, accompanied by religious chants and traditional music (oud, tambourines). This ritual aims to achieve a form of trance and union with the divine. Felix Bonfils was a French photographer (1831–1885). He learned photography from Niepce de Saint-Victor, nephew of Nicéphore Niepce. He opened his photographic studio in 1867 in Beirut, Lebanon, where he specialized in the architecture and landscapes of Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Greece. In addition to his landscapes and architectural photographs, Bonfils focused on documenting the lives of indigenous people in the Middle East, as illustrated by this portrait of two young girls in traditional dress. Image size: 22 x 27.5 cm. Mat size: 40 x 50 cm. Link to the website: https://www.lavalisearlesienne.com/product-page/felix-bonfils-1831-1885-derviches-tourneurs-%C3%A0-damas-circa-1870