The Procession of the Grand Vizier into Constantinople; and A Caravanserai

This pair of paintings may have formed part of a suite, perhaps conceived as a decorative scheme for a room in the turquerie style. Processions featured widely in depictions of Turkey from the section of Coeck van Aelst's engraved frieze depicting Sultan Sulayman and his armies crossing the Atmeidan in Constantinople, to the almost de rigueur records commissioned by ambassadors of their processions from Pera to audiences with the Grand Vizier. The French artist Jean-Baptiste Vanmour stayed in Constantinople for forty years specialising in such scenes. All reflect the lavish ceremonial that surrounded the Ottoman court.

The present pictures perhaps depicts the Ottoman army returning through the city walls of Constantinople following a military campaign in Thrace. While many of the figures in the cavalcade are imaginary, some of the most memorable elements of the Ottoman army are depicted. The Sultan's army was led by a military band of trumpets, fifes, drums and cymbals which can be seen in the middle distance. At the head of the column would be the the Sultan's formidable hand-picked army of Janissaries, their crescent shaped standard, or chaghana, carried aloft hung with horses tails and bells. The cavalry was led by the Spahis - heavily armed, non-hereditary, feudal landowners who were obliged to provide leadership and troops. In the middle distance, the inclusion of two Polish horsemen is a typical contemporary addition, while the Turkish costumes have been glamourised to include feathered turbans and horses lavishly caparisoned with animal skins.