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‘Portrait of Sir Richard Burton’, Madame Gutmansthal de Benvenuti, Italy, 1879
MEDIUM oil on canvas
DIMENSIONS 78 x 65 cm
ACQUISITION Presented by Marchioness of Cholmondeley
REFERENCE LDSAC 2022.5.24
Painted during Burton’s consulship in Trieste in 1879, the picture is the work of Madame Gutmansthal de Benvenuti, a friend and artist. Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton (19 March 1821 – 20 October 1890) was a British geographer, explorer, translator, writer, soldier, Orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer and diplomat. He was known for his travels and explorations within Asia, Africa and the Americas as well as his extraordinary knowledge of languages and cultures. According to one count, he spoke 29 European, Asian and African languages. Burton's best-known achievements include travelling in disguise to Mecca, a translation of One thousand and one nights (also commonly called The Arabian Nights), bringing the Kama Sutra to publication in English.
This is part of the SOAS Artwork & Object Collections. See more https://www.soas.ac.uk/gallery/collections/
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