The Enchanting Azerbaijani Lady

A woman stands in profile on a covered gallery, in a striped silk jacket with wide sleeves, a patterned headscarf and long drop earrings. Behind her a girl in a floral dress turns toward the camera and blurs. Baku, 1890.

Paul Nadar (1856–1939) inherited the Paris studio of his father Nadar and became a portrait photographer of the first rank. In 1890 the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits sent him to photograph an expedition through the Caucasus and Turkestan. He left Paris on 28 August, crossed the Black Sea to Batumi, travelled on to Tiflis, then Baku, then across the Caspian into Central Asia. Mosques, bazaars, oil fields, falconry, desert and the people of both the new century and the old one.

One plate from a limited-edition series produced by CHELEBI, each carrying an image from that journey of a country that would change beyond recognition within a century.

Decorative use only: not intended for food, and not dishwasher or microwave safe. Wipe clean with a soft damp cloth. No stand or wall fixing is included.

Size: 10 inches

Material: ceramic