Portraits of Admiral Miaoulis and Sultan Mahmud II, Hand Colored, 1842

About this sheet

This is an original antique lithograph, hand colored, from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). The plate holds two half length portraits set against soft shaded backgrounds. The upper portrait shows a heavy set man with a large curled moustache in a tall crimson cap with a gray top, a crimson jacket thrown over a white waistcoat patterned with a pink lattice and edged with gold braid and buttons, and a gold cord across his chest. The lower portrait shows a man with a full dark beard in a large white turban wound with gold and jeweled ornaments and crowned by a crescent aigrette. He wears a fur collared robe of gray violet over a garment with broad bands of gold frogging, and the jeweled hilt of a dagger shows at his chest.

The plate is lettered "Tom. IV" at the upper left, "GRECIA" in the center and "Tav. 151" at the upper right. The upper caption reads "Miaulis" (Miaoulis), and the lower caption reads "Mahmud II" (Mahmud II).

Andreas Miaoulis commanded the Greek fleet during the War of Independence of the 1820s, while Mahmud II was the Ottoman sultan during the same war, reigning from 1808 to 1839. The plate thus sets opponents of that conflict one above the other.

The two portraits make a striking pair, and the plate suits a library or a collection on Greek or Ottoman history of the early nineteenth century.

Condition: Light wear to the top left corner. Light age toning; light handling soiling along the edges and a few small spots 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.