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Sandal Bedesteni, or Silk Bazaar

Anonymous Greek artist

1809

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanticism Early 19th Century Market

Dominant colour

Sandal Bedesteni, or Silk Bazaar is a 1809 watercolor by Anonymous Greek artist, a Romanticism work, depicting Market, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Anonymous Greek artist
When & what style?: 1809 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This watercolour shows a market scene in 1809. The artist was Greek but worked in an Ottoman style. It was one of many views made for a British diplomat. The artist blended Ottoman watercolour skills with European perspective. The diplomat hired locals to record what he saw. That makes the picture a rare snapshot of early 1800s Istanbul. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

The image depicts the interior of a large market hall, where merchants are seated behind their counters attending to customers. Part of a series commissioned by Stratford Canning during his diplomatic mission to Istanbul, the work blends Ottoman artistic techniques with European perspective. The artist remains unidentified but is believed to have been associated with Konstantin Kapidagli’s circle. The drawings were later acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1895 from Canning’s daughter.

Read the full account in the museum source.