Iskander Bey and his Servant, John Frederick Lewis, circa 1848

This steely-eyed boy dressed in ceremonial albanian military uniform was the son of sulayman pasha al-faransawi (1788-1860). The latter was born in france as octave-joseph-anthelme sève and served as a colonel under napoleon. After the emperor's fall, he moved to egypt by 1819 and helped the ottoman viceroy, muhammad ali pasha, modernize the army. Eventually, sève converted to islam, changed his name, and married a greek woman, maria ellessi. This portrait of their son communicates pride in the family's status at the top of egyptian society—the boy sits ramrod straight, prepares to draw his sword, and is attended by a young nubian who holds a rifle. Lewis reached egypt in 1841 and remained for nearly a decade to record the region's dress, architecture and customs. An earlier version of this portrait, inscribed 1848 (private collection), shows the attendant with a horsehair whisk, while this later variation substitutes a peacock feather fan. Object Type: drawing. Date: circa 1848. Dimensions: Sheet: 20 in. × 14 1/2 in. (50.8 × 36.8 cm). Medium: graphite, watercolor and bodycolor. Collection: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Iskander Bey and his Servant Met DP886423