Artwork

View of Constantinople (Istanbul) and the Seraglio from the Swedish Legation in Pera

View of Constantinople (Istanbul) and the Seraglio from the Swedish Legation in Pera is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Jan van der Steen. It dates from 1775 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The Seraglio (Topkapı Palace), seat of Ottoman power, appears as a key architectural landmark, establishing the work's geopolitical resonance.

The painting presents a panoramic view of Constantinople (modern Istanbul) as seen from the Swedish Legation in Pera, the European quarter across the Golden Horn. The composition encompasses the city's distinctive topography, with mountains rising behind the waterfront, and includes boats on the water that animate the marine setting. The Seraglio (Topkapı Palace), seat of Ottoman power, appears as a key architectural landmark, establishing the work's geopolitical resonance.

As a marine painting made in Istanbul in 1775, the work belongs to the tradition of vedute, topographical views that documented foreign cities for European audiences, while also serving as a record of diplomatic presence, the Swedish legation providing a privileged vantage point for this cross-cultural observation.

Technique & Style

The painting is executed in oil on canvas, measuring 94 by 221 centimetres. Its horizontal format supports a panoramic marine view, a compositional choice suited to the sweeping prospect of Constantinople and the Seraglio as seen from the Swedish Legation in Pera. The work belongs to the marine genre, depicting boats and mountainous terrain along the water.

The broad width relative to height suggests an expansive, observational handling of the cityscape and harbour activity, characteristic of topographical vedute produced for European patrons in Ottoman lands during the eighteenth century.

History & Provenance

Jan van der Steen created the oil-on-canvas painting View of Constantinople (Istanbul) and the Seraglio from the Swedish Legation in Pera in 1775. The work was executed in Istanbul, depicting the city's harbor and the Seraglio from the vantage point of the Swedish Legation in Pera. Currently, the painting is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

The artwork measures 94 cm in height and 221 cm in width, capturing a marine scene that includes boats and distant mountains.

The painting is held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it is recorded with the accession number SK-C-1824. It entered the museum’s collection through transfer from the Amsterdam City Council in 1816, aligning with the early nineteenth-century policy of integrating civic holdings into the national collection.

The work has been exhibited at the Rijksmuseum on multiple occasions, including in displays dedicated to Dutch marine art and city views of the eighteenth century.

Overview

Jan van der Steen’s 1775 oil painting, titled View of Constantinople (Istanbul) and the Seraglio from the Swedish Legation in Pera, offers a broad, tranquil vista of the Ottoman capital seen from the European quarter of Pera. The canvas captures the city’s waterfront, its distinctive domes and minarets, and a scattering of vessels against a softly lit sky, creating a harmonious, atmospheric scene.

Context

The image reflects the broader Enlightenment fascination with distant cultures and the strategic importance of Constantinople as a gateway between Europe and Asia. By the late 1700s, European artists frequently traveled or relied on diplomatic contacts to capture such exotic locales, contributing to a growing visual archive of the Ottoman capital for Western audiences.