José Tapiró

Acquired by the aunt of the present owner in the 1930s; thence by descent

Probably, London, Myer & Son Gallery, 1885

El Heraldo de Reus, 1927, issue dedicated to Tapiró, illustrated 

Depicting a snake charmer in quiet backstreet of Tangiers, this evocative and beautifully preserved watercolour displays Tapiró's love of detailed, ethnographic observation, as well as his technical accomplishment in his chosen medium. Tapiró's work has often be compared to that of his contemporary and close friend, Mariano Fortuny. Fortuny and Tapiró studied together at the schools of fine art of Reus and Barcelona, and Tapiró even received a bravery medal for saving Fortuny from drowning. In 1857 the two friends embarked on a study trip that took them from Spain to Rome, then Morocco (1860), back to Rome (1863), on to Grenada (1871) and back to Morocco (1872). In 1876, following Fortuny's death, Tapiró settled permanently in Tangiers.