Residence of the British Consul-General at La Marsa, Tunis, June 1927

Margaret de Courcy Lewthwaite Dewar (1878 - 1959)

Watercolour and body colour on paper (2 joined sheets)

June 1927

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Image of Residence of the British Consul-General at La Marsa, Tunis, June 1927
  • About the work
    Location
    Country: Tunisia
    City: Tunis
    Place: British Embassy

    After Richard Wood (1806-1900; see GAC 3829) was made British Consul-General to Tunisia in 1855, he arrived in Tunis to find that the Residence used by his predecessor, a palace at La Marsa owned by the Bey of Tunisia, was again in use by the Bey. With no official residence, Wood initially lived with the French Consul and later in a room attached to the Chapel of St Louis, at Carthage. Eventually he was able to purchase a house known as the Palais Ben Ayyad from the Bey’s Treasurer, who was forced to move to France following disgrace for misconduct. The Bey agreed to bear the cost of expanding Palais Ben Ayyad and Wood added an additional wing of his own design and a dome to enclose the courtyard. The house remains one of the most unusual British diplomatic’s residences today. It is lined with 19th-century hand-made Italian wall tiles and features fretted plasterwork ceilings, elaborately carved arches and an arcade of marble columns, with a painted ceiling. The edge of the Residence can also be seen in an oil painting of c.1897 by former British Consul and amateur artist Sir Harry Hamilton Johnston (see GAC 17675).

  • Explore
    Places
    Africa, Tunisia, Tunis
    Subjects
    topography, flower, tree, palm, flag, garden, government building, shutters, steps, window, balcony
    Materials & Techniques
    paper (as artists material), watercolour (as artists materials), body colour, watercolour (as object name)
  • Details
    Artist
    Margaret de Courcy Lewthwaite Dewar (1878 - 1959)
    Title
    Residence of the British Consul-General at La Marsa, Tunis, June 1927
    Date
    June 1927
    Medium
    Watercolour and body colour on paper (2 joined sheets)
    Dimensions
    height: 33.50 cm, width: 43.40 cm
    Acquisition
    Presented to the British Consul, Tunis by the artist, June 1930
    Inscription
    br: De C. Lewthwaite Dewar / June 1927
    Provenance
    The artist; British Embassy, Tunis (originally presented to the British Consul General 1930)
    GAC number
    17675