Old Cairo Market - Franz Xaver Kosler (1864–1905)

This magnificent oil painting depicts a market scene in Cairo, as traders gather on the sands outside of a village. In the far distance, the Sultanniyya Mausoleum can be seen, indicating that this market is occurring on the eastern edges of Cairo. The scene is energetic and dynamic - customers barter with traders over pottery, vases and vessels are inspected for quality, and on the left side of the image, a young boy carries a toddler on his shoulders. These are the scenes of ordinary Egyptian life that Kosler is best known for depicting in his paintings, and are a stark contrast to the exoticised works more apparent amongst French artists of the time. The figures within the painting are depicted sympathetically, with no attempt to represent them as anything other than they are - normal people gathered at a market.

One of the most noticeable features of the painting is its bright palette which Kosler has used to great effect to demonstrate the brightness of the scorching Egyptian sun. The background appears hazier and less detailed than the foreground, as if implying the visual effects of a heat wave. The shadows cast by the figures and pots in the scene are also heavily accurate, demonstrating Kosler’s mastery of observational painting. Another remarkable feature of the work, that demonstrates Kosler’s attention to detail and adoration for Egyptian culture, is the representation of traditional dress. The fabric has a tangible quality created by the distribution of creases and the way light is depicted across the surfaces of the clothing worn by the figures. Kosler has depicted both men and women in a variety of outfits, including a woman in a khimar, men in galabiya, and customers in a variety of uniquely styled keffiyeh. Kosler’s adoration for Egyptian culture is evidently apparent, as is the immense amount of artistic skill he possesses to represent this scene with such detail, accuracy, and beauty.

Franz Xaver Kosler

Franz Xaver Kosler was born in 1864 in Vienna, Austria. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, first under Christian Griepenkerl at the General School and then under Leopold Carl Muller at the Special School for History Painting. Muller had a notable influence on Kosler’s artistic production, most apparent in his choice of quotidian subjects and portrait composition.

In 1886, Kosler began a series of study trips to the Balkans in an attempt to follow in the footsteps of his teacher and paint scenes of the Near East. Muller encouraged Kosler to visit Egypt in 1892, and Kosler fell in love with the country instantly - his second trip in 1894 was financed by Archduke Franz Ferdinand, for whom Kosler would paint two portraits. Kosler would spend his winters in Cairo over the next few years, and held his first exhibition in the capital in 1894. Kosler was fascinated by the scenes of ordinary life in Egypt, although he did paint some notable figures that had been awed by his works exhibited in Cairo. Notably, Kosler painted a portrait of Prince Said Halim Pasha, the grandson of Mehemet Ali Pasha, who would later become the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.

Kosler also met many influential European art collectors and as a result was able to exhibit at the Glass Palace in Munich in 1899, and the Royal Academy in London in 1903. Unsurprisingly, he exhibited at the Viennese salons from 1895, and became a member of the Society of Artist Painters in 1901.

Kosler died in December of 1905, in Syracuse, Sicily, at the young age of 41. A posthumous presentation of his works was held at the Royal Academy in 1906, demonstrating Kosler’s popularity with the English - indeed, many of his works are owned by private English collectors.