Ali Pasha (born about 1741, died 1822)
Medium
Ivory
Dimensions
Oval, 4 1/8 x 3 1/4 in. (105 x 84 mm)
Classification
Miniatures
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Moses Lazarus Collection, Gift of Josephine and Sarah Lazarus, in memory of their father, 1888–95
Accession Number
95.14.52
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite ivory miniature portrait, titled *Ali Pasha (born about 1741, 1822)*, the formidable Ottoman governor known as the "Lion ofina" in a precise profile view. Created by the German miniaturist Jacob Ritter von in 1822—the year of Ali Pasha's dramatic death—it exemplifies the refined art of 19th-century European portrait miniatures. Measuring just 4 1/8 x 3 1/4 in an oval format, these diminutive works were prized as intimate keepsakes, often worn as jewelry or displayed in private collections. Ali Pasha rose to power as the semi-independent ruler of Yanina (modern Ioannina, Greece)...