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View of the Bosphorus, looking towards the Black Sea

Anonymous Greek artist

1809

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanticism Early 19th Century Cityscape

Dominant colour

View of the Bosphorus, looking towards the Black Sea is a 1809 watercolor by Anonymous Greek artist, a Romanticism work, 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 is a watercolour from the Romantic era. It shows a view of the Bosphorus, heading toward the Black Sea. The artist stays unknown, but some think he worked near Konstantin Kapidagli. It was part of a big set of pictures made for a British diplomat. He arrived in Istanbul in 1808 and hired local artists to record what he saw. Check out more Ottoman-European blends at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

A series of views of Ottoman institutions and sites was commissioned by Stratford Canning during his diplomatic posting in Istanbul in 1808–09 and executed by an anonymous Greek artist, possibly associated with Konstantin Kapidagli’s circle. The drawings combine dense Ottoman water and bodycolour techniques with European perspective and representational conventions. One such work depicts the Bosphorus, looking toward the Black Sea, and was later acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1895 from Canning’s daughter Charlotte.

Read the full account in the museum source.