Pr. Jennifer Powell, director of the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, and the Moroccan ambassador to the United Kingdom, Hakim Hajoui. Credit: Simon Hadley
The Moroccan Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Hakim Hajoui, had the opportunity to meet one of his illustrious diplomatic predecessors from more than 400 years ago during a visit to the Barber Institute of Fine Arts from the University of Birmingham.
The ambassador was able to admire, in the campus gallery, the famous portrait of the Moroccan ambassador Abd el-Ouahed bin Messaoud bin Mohammed Anoun – the oldest known British painting of a Muslim personality.
Abd el-Ouahed ben Messaoud led an embassy to London in 1600 to deepen commercial and diplomatic ties between Britain and he has historically been suggested as the inspiration for Othello the Shakespeare.
“This portrait is a powerful symbol of the deep historical ties between Morocco and the United Kingdom, dating back more than eight centuries. Seeing it here at the Barber Institute at the University of Birmingham highlights the vital role that academic and cultural institutions play in preserving and celebrating our shared history,” Hajoui commented.
The University of Birmingham has loaned the portrait to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2022, as part of the touring exhibition The Tudors : Art and Majesty in Renaissance England. The painting was also exhibited at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio and the Fine Arts Museum, San Francisco in 2023.
-Part of the University’s research and cultural collections, the masterpiece has been on loan to the Barber – the University’s art museum and collection – since June, and will remain on display until the galleries close to prepare for the second phase of essential improvements to the building starting January 27.
Clare Mullett, head of research and cultural collections at the University of Birmingham, said the painting was one of the most vivid memories of British history at the turn of the 17th century.
“We are delighted to display this iconic Tudor portrait at the Barber, where it fits perfectly within this globally significant art collection,” Mullett said. “Abd el-Ouahed’s visit to the court of Queen Elizabeth I represented a major event in the history of diplomatic and cultural exchanges between Europe and the Islamic world. His arrival highlighted a change in foreign policy and demonstrated England’s willingness to engage with nations outside Europe. »
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