BARLOW

VIEW OF THE GRAND SIGNIOR’S SERAGLIO, AT CONSTANTINOPLE

Percival BARLOW

c. 1790

25,5 x 18 cm.

This eye-catching view of Topkapi Palace in modern-day Istanbul was published in Percival Barlow’s A General History of Europe around 1790. The image was copied directly from an earlier print designed by Aaron Hull as part of A full and just account of the present state of the Ottoman Empire in all its branches.

At the time, the palace was the home of the Ottoman Sultan and a portion of his extensive court. The iconic Hagia Sophia can be seen on the far right, along with the dome of the Sofa Mosque, several minarets, and the city’s immense fortified walls. Numerous vessels of all shapes and sizes can be seen in the waters of the Bosporus Strait, and the Sultan’s boathouses are also distinguishable on the far shore.

Source: ARTSTOR