A street in Istanbul with a mosque behind; A house and a city gate near Istanbul

Details

Luigi Mayer (Italian, 1755-1803)
A street in Istanbul with a mosque behind; A house and a city gate near Istanbul
signed 'L. Mayer dipinse' (i and ii) and inscribed 'MOSCHEA, E FONTANA ESISTENTE NEL VILLAGGIO DI ESKI-ESTAMBOL NELLA ROMELIA.' (i) and 'RUINE DI UN'ANTICO CASTELLO ALL'INGRESSO DEL VILLAGGIO DI ESCHI-STAMBOL NELLA ROMELIA.' (ii) and 'Tavola N° XX. del viaggio pittoresco del Sig?. Cav?. Roberto Ainslie' (i and ii)
black chalk, watercolour and pastel, gum Arabic, on a feigned mount
16½ x 22 1/8 in. (42.1 x 56.4 cm)
(2)

Engraved

William Watts (1752-1851) and published in Views in the Ottoman Dominions, in Europe, in Asia, and some of the Mediterranean islands, from the original drawings taken for Sir Robert Ainslie, by Luigi Mayer, London, 1810, pl. 15 (i).

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Lottie Gammie

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Lot Essay

The publication in which the first drawing is published is dedicated to Sir Robert Ainslie, 1st Baronet (circa 1730-1812), who was the Scottish ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. Ainslie financed Mayer's journeys on which he depicted sites in the Ottoman empire and in particular the antiquities.

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