Topkapi Palace Fourth Court, Istanbul after W.H. Bartlett, Engraving, circa 1838
€ 220
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1838
Mapmaker / artist
W.H. Bartlett (artist), S. Bradshaw (engraver)
Publisher
George Virtue, London
Technique
Steel engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-13194-142
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Light wear to the top right corner. Age toning; handling soiling along the edges and foxing with some brown staining in the margins. Printed image clean.
About this sheet
A steel engraving of the Fourth Court of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, the Serai Bournou, after W.H. Bartlett, from The Beauties of the Bosphorus.
Two pavilions on slender columns, one hung with draped awnings, stand beside a domed kiosk with an open arcade, while the domes and a minaret of the palace rise behind. A great plane tree spreads its branches over the buildings, and a few figures in Ottoman dress stand and sit in the open court. The low evening light throws long shadows.
The plate is lettered "W.H. Bartlett" and "S. Bradshaw", with the title "Fourth Court of the Seraï Bournou", captions in French and German, "Quatrième Cour du Serai Bournou" and "Der vierte Hof des Serai Bournou", and the imprint "London, Published for the Proprietors, by Geo. Virtue, 26, Ivy Lane". It comes from The Beauties of the Bosphorus, with text by Julia Pardoe and plates after William Henry Bartlett, published in London by George Virtue in 1838 and 1839.
The Fourth Court was the most private part of the sultan's palace, with pleasure kiosks overlooking the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus. Views of the palace interior were rare in Bartlett's day.
An evocative Ottoman subject for a living room or study. The engraved image measures about 12.1 by 18.4 cm (height by width), and the margins around it carry all the original lettering, which is worth keeping visible in the mat.
Condition: Light wear to the top right corner. Age toning; handling soiling along the edges and foxing with some brown staining in the margins. Printed image clean.
This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.
