C27-original Drawing-dedication-bida Alexandre-portrait-smoker From Cairo-[schefer]-1847

BIDA ALEXANDRE Born in Toulouse 03/10/1813 Died in Lautenbach 02/01/1895 FRENCH PAINTER-ENGRAVER Orientalist painter STUDENT OF EUGÈNE DELACROIX He exhibited at the universal exhibitions of 1855 and 1867, in 1867 he presented the drawing The Massacre of the Mamelukes, evocation of the massacre of March 1, 1811 in Cairo, which is currently at the Louvre Museum, Department of Graphic Arts. DRAWING - CHALK - PENCIL - PASTEL PORTRAIT OF A SMOKER FROM CAIRO 1847 With a dedication "To my friend Schefer" Charles-Henri-Auguste Schefer, born November 16, 1820 in Paris where he died March 3, 1898, is an orientalist , French writer, translator, historian and geographer. Charles followed, like his brother Jules Schefer, who died minister plenipotentiary in Montenegro, a career in the countries of the Orient. After taking courses at the École des Jeunes de Langues, he had the chance to work with Étienne Quatremère, the historian of the Mongols of Persia and the Mamluk sultans of Egypt. Appointed tutor at his School on April 16, 1843, he entered into an active career as a dragoman in Beirut, then successively in Jerusalem (1844), Smyrna, Alexandria and finally Constantinople (1849). In this post he displayed the greatest activity; much loved by Sultan Abdul Medjid, Schefer took a considerable part in the events which led to the signing of the Treaty of Paris on March 30, 1856. Returning to France, he was appointed First Secretary Interpreter for Oriental Languages in Paris on February 4, 1857 and the Department of Foreign Affairs called on him again by sending him on a special mission to Syria in August 1860. Signed, dated lower right (54 cm x 38 cm) Good condition