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Lot Essay
Outside the Selim Türbe, Constantinople demonstrates Ernst's knowledge of Middle Eastern culture, architecture, costume and decoration. The artist has chosen an important monument in Constantinople, the Tomb of Sultan Selim on the grounds of Aya Sofia, as the backdrop to a composition enlivened by a panoply of figures.
The tomb of Selim II (1566-1574) was built after his death in 1577. The site to the southwest of Aya Sofia was prepared during extensive repairs conducted during the Sultan's rule when the immediate vicinity of the converted cathedral was cleared of residential structures. The tombs of his son, Murad III (1574 - 1595) and his grandson, Mehmet III (1595 - 1603) were built later at either side of his tomb. In addition to the sarcophagus of Selim II, the tomb houses the graves of forty-four other members of the Ottoman family, including Selim II's wife, five sons, three daughters and twenty-one sons and daughters of Murad III. It was designed by the renowned architect Mimar Sinan (1492-1588), the most famous of all Turkish architects.
The tomb is oriented parallel to the Hagia Sophia, facing northwest. It has a complex structure assembled from a square outer shell and an octagonal inner shell. From the exterior, the tomb appears as a squat square structure with chamfered corners, covered by an inset dome raised on a multifaceted drum that extends outward to meet the square fagade above the entrance. A three-bay portico with a dome at the center and barrel vaults over the side bays precedes the entryway. It is this portico that Ernst has chosen to represent in the present painting.
The tomb of Selim II is well known for the sixteenth century Iznik tiles that decorate the interior and the portico façade. There are two famous floral panels on either side of the entrance, (the left one was taken out of the country during a restoration in the late nineteenth century and is currently exhibited at the Musée du Louvre.) Sections of the calligraphic band between the upper and lower windows on the interior are also missing and were painted in during contemporary restorations. The painted decoration of the interior, with the possible exception of the dome, was redone in the late eighteenth century. Wooden shelving were embedded in the walls used to store precious belongings of the sultan many of which have disappeared before the Ottoman heritage laws were instituted in the early twentieth century. The portico has fine examples of stone latticework and marble carving such as calligraphic panels assembled from polychrome marbles. This rich architectural vocabulary provides the artist with an intricate and varied palette which provides the setting for his figures. It is clear that the monument is the actual subject of the painting, and Ernst has carefully delineated the architectural features of the building, from the beautiful Iznik tiles flanking the door, the marble columns with their carved capitals to the panels of calligraphy that flank the center archway. He has further embellished this portrait of an exquisite building with a variety of figures adorning the entrance to the tomb. The artist has depicted a man reclining on the steps of the tomb, putting on his slippers after praying, a watermelon seller, a scribe, and a trader with his wares displayed on an Anatolian prayer rug. Outside Selim Türbe is a masterful rendition of Ernst's mastery of architectural detail and his interest in everyday human drama.
The exterior of the tomb appears in another picture by the artist, exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1891 under the title Le tombeau de Sultan Selim à Constantinople, which is now in the Nadj Collection (fig. 1).
(fig. 1) Rudolf Ernst, Le tombeau de Sultan Selim à Constantinople, (1891), The Nadj Collection.
Photo courtesy: Mathaf Gallery, London.
The tomb of Selim II (1566-1574) was built after his death in 1577. The site to the southwest of Aya Sofia was prepared during extensive repairs conducted during the Sultan's rule when the immediate vicinity of the converted cathedral was cleared of residential structures. The tombs of his son, Murad III (1574 - 1595) and his grandson, Mehmet III (1595 - 1603) were built later at either side of his tomb. In addition to the sarcophagus of Selim II, the tomb houses the graves of forty-four other members of the Ottoman family, including Selim II's wife, five sons, three daughters and twenty-one sons and daughters of Murad III. It was designed by the renowned architect Mimar Sinan (1492-1588), the most famous of all Turkish architects.
The tomb is oriented parallel to the Hagia Sophia, facing northwest. It has a complex structure assembled from a square outer shell and an octagonal inner shell. From the exterior, the tomb appears as a squat square structure with chamfered corners, covered by an inset dome raised on a multifaceted drum that extends outward to meet the square fagade above the entrance. A three-bay portico with a dome at the center and barrel vaults over the side bays precedes the entryway. It is this portico that Ernst has chosen to represent in the present painting.
The tomb of Selim II is well known for the sixteenth century Iznik tiles that decorate the interior and the portico façade. There are two famous floral panels on either side of the entrance, (the left one was taken out of the country during a restoration in the late nineteenth century and is currently exhibited at the Musée du Louvre.) Sections of the calligraphic band between the upper and lower windows on the interior are also missing and were painted in during contemporary restorations. The painted decoration of the interior, with the possible exception of the dome, was redone in the late eighteenth century. Wooden shelving were embedded in the walls used to store precious belongings of the sultan many of which have disappeared before the Ottoman heritage laws were instituted in the early twentieth century. The portico has fine examples of stone latticework and marble carving such as calligraphic panels assembled from polychrome marbles. This rich architectural vocabulary provides the artist with an intricate and varied palette which provides the setting for his figures. It is clear that the monument is the actual subject of the painting, and Ernst has carefully delineated the architectural features of the building, from the beautiful Iznik tiles flanking the door, the marble columns with their carved capitals to the panels of calligraphy that flank the center archway. He has further embellished this portrait of an exquisite building with a variety of figures adorning the entrance to the tomb. The artist has depicted a man reclining on the steps of the tomb, putting on his slippers after praying, a watermelon seller, a scribe, and a trader with his wares displayed on an Anatolian prayer rug. Outside Selim Türbe is a masterful rendition of Ernst's mastery of architectural detail and his interest in everyday human drama.
The exterior of the tomb appears in another picture by the artist, exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1891 under the title Le tombeau de Sultan Selim à Constantinople, which is now in the Nadj Collection (fig. 1).
(fig. 1) Rudolf Ernst, Le tombeau de Sultan Selim à Constantinople, (1891), The Nadj Collection.
Photo courtesy: Mathaf Gallery, London.