OTTOMAN ISTANBUL, TURKEY, CIRCA 1790-1800

For a discussion on the Zenanname, the text which this folio would have illustrated, please see the footnote to the previous lot. Although the majority of the illustrations to the Zenanname are studies of individual women from different lands – from India to the New World – a few paintings depict groups of women, in this case enjoying life in the capital. This scene has a counterpart in the British Library Zenanname (Or.7094, f.7r), and in the in the Istanbul University copy (IUK, MS.T.5502). It depicts outdoor festivities at Kağıthane, a popular resort in the 18^th century. Many of the individual vignettes across the paintings are the same - from the languid woman leaning back and smoking, attentively fanned by her attendants, to a lady being pushed on a swing, the cross-legged gentleman holding a flower, or even the red kite hanging from the tree. The panoramic view of the background of all beholds palaces and pools. Their similarity suggests that the artist responsible for our manuscript was familiar with those now in the British Library and Istanbul University.