Egypt and the Isthmus of Suez

The only other known version of Caffi’s Isthmus of Suez, kept at the Gallery of Modern Art of Ca Pesaro in Venice and coming from the artist’s legacy, is dated to 1844. This unpublished version can be approached for stylistic reasons while noting numerous variations, as was customary for the author. It is undoubtedly one of the most evocative and beautiful orientalist paintings by Ippolito Caffi, who on the occasion is attracted both by the intense light of Egypt and by the heterogeneity of the customs of its inhabitants.