TURKEY, 19TH CENTURY

Albums containing paintings of variously dressed members of Ottoman society were produced by the commercial artists of Istanbul between the 17th and 19th centuries, catering to the interests of viewers who regarded costume as a window into the empire’s workings. They were mainly produced for a foreign audience of travellers or diplomats, who wanted detailed images of the ‘exotic’ Ottoman culture and its people. They were usually captioned in their own languages. In this example the illustrations include a variety of official positions, such as a judge, a city magistrate, janissaries, as well as the Sultan’s coffee maker and chief water carrier. There are also a number of illustrations of women. An album, from the period of Mahmud II sold at Sotheby London, 15 May 2018, lot 281. Another sold in these Rooms, 7 April 2011, lot 369. Recently, a related 19^th century album, with paintings by the Ottoman painter Fenerci Mehmed but painted for an Ottoman audience rather than a Western one, was offered in these Rooms, 1 May 2025, lot 111.