SUNSET OVER THE NILE

John Varley Jr. (British 1850–1933)

Oil on canvas, signed and dated John Varley 1902 (lower left)

127cm x 76cm

Varley Jr. had a passion for sailing, and in 1874 he built his own yacht and sailed to Egypt, where he remained for two years painting life in the country, especially vignettes of Cairo. Some of Varley Jr’s paintings of Egypt reflect his interest in maritime pursuits and show the distinctive riverboats that dot the Nile. The boats in the present work are to be feluccas, small vessels with distinctive lateen sails, used by traders on the Nile to this day.