John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)

Singer-Sargent stayed in Madrid for several weeks in the winter of 1879. Here, he visited the Taller del Moro museum in Toledo, where the subject of this watercolour was kept. It is possible that he sketched the preliminary outlines of the work within the museum before adding the wash of muted earth colours and gradient blue watercolour afterwards.

Created circa 14th Century the red earthenware cylinder with white tin-glaze and green glazed ceramic inscription in interlocking Kufic script embraces a strong Islamic Spanish aesthetic. However, Toledo had been a Christian area since 1085 and this connection was a cultivated but purely decorative hangover from this time.