Bazaar gossip

The scene depicted in this large-scale work is a cluttered stall in a Cairo market. A metal tray containing a porcelain tea or coffee service provides the centrepiece for convivial social interaction between men. The more prominent figure, presumably the store holder, sits cross-legged against a backdrop of colourful fabrics. With a hookah hose between his fingers, he listens with rapt attention to his visitor, whose hand gesture seems to be reinforcing a point in the conversation. Charles Robertson invites our eye to explore each of the meticulously described objects and linger over the extraordinary amount of detail. His intricate brushwork and carefully rendered textures were achieved by blending watercolour with copious amounts of opaque bodycolour.