Panoramic view of Cairo was executed around 1860-1870 by important German landscape painter and orientalist Otto Friedrich  Georgi ( 1819 Leipzig - 1874 Dresden). His oriental landscape were very popular among international collectors and the artist repeated his best works in the order of different collectors. We found fully identical painting by him, dated 1867 with different dimensions in the collection of Puschkin Museum in Moscow (see our last additional image).

Otto Georgi received his artistic training from his father, Friedrich Traugott Georgi (1783–1838), and at the Leipzig and Dresden Art Academies. He exhibited his work for the first time in Dresden in 1834. As a replacement for the ill Johann Jakob Frey, he participated as a draftsman in the Prussian expedition to Egypt under Richard Lepsius from 1844 to 1845. From 1853 to 1855, he lived in Rome, then in Vorbrücke near Meissen, and from 1859 in Dresden. In 1868/69, he undertook a study trip through Bavaria and Tyrol to Italy.

Inspired by his participation in the Egyptian expedition, Georgi painted predominantly motifs from the Orient (Egypt and Palestine), which earned him the nickname "Orient-George." He is considered one of the earliest German Orientalists. His other oeuvre primarily includes landscape paintings from Saxony and the Alpine region.

On February 3, 2019, an episode of the NDR program "Lieb & Teuer" aired, hosted by Janin Ullmann and filmed at Reinbek Castle. In the episode, a watercolor of the Colosseum in Rome by Georgi was discussed with painting expert Beate Rhenisch.

Literature: F.v.Boetticher " Painting works of 19th century ", 1898; Thieme/Becker "Lexicon of artists from antique to contemporary"; Karin Rhein: Deutsche Orientmalerei in der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts. Tenea, Berlin 2003; on-line Wikipedia in German.

Provenance: North German private collection.
Inscription: signed lower middle.

Technique: oil on canvas, original period gold-plated frame.

Measurements: unframed w 20 1/2" x 30 3/4" (52 x 78 cm), framed w 42 7/8" x h 28 3/4" (99 x 73 cm).

Condition: in very good condition.