Artwork
The Grand Vizier Crossing the Atmeydanı (Horse Square)
The Grand Vizier Crossing the Atmeydanı (Horse Square) is an oil painting by Jean Baptiste Vanmour. It dates from 1728 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition includes the Sultan Ahmed Mosque as a key architectural element in the background, situating the procession within a specific Ottoman setting.
The work depicts the Grand Vizier traversing the Atmeydanı, also known as the Hippodrome of Constantinople, within the city's urban landscape. The composition includes the Sultan Ahmed Mosque as a key architectural element in the background, situating the procession within a specific Ottoman setting. Painted in 1728, the scene captures a high-ranking official moving through a public square that served as a central civic and ceremonial space.
The imagery functions as a documentary record of Ottoman court life and the visual splendor of Istanbul during the early eighteenth century.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1728, this work is an oil painting applied to a canvas support. The composition measures 61 cm in height and 84.5 cm in width. Visually, the piece depicts the Hippodrome of Constantinople, featuring the Sultan Ahmed Mosque within the scene.
The handling of the medium and the specific stylistic approach align with the artist's broader corpus of works documenting Ottoman subjects during this period.
History & Provenance
The Grand Vizier Crossing the Atmeydanı (Horse Square) is an oil painting on canvas by Jean Baptiste Vanmour dated 1728. The work was held in private ownership by Cornelis Calkoen and later by Nicolaas Calkoen, both listed as former owners of the piece. It subsequently entered the collections of the Directie van de Levantse handel en de Navigatie op de Middellandse Zee, the Koninklijk Kabinet van Zeldzaamheden, and the Nederlandsch Museum voor Geschiedenis en Kunst before being accessioned by the Rijksmuseum, where it is currently held.
The painting measures 61 cm in height by 84.5 cm in width and depicts the Hippodrome of Constantinople and the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. The sources do not provide further details on the circumstances of its commission or the specific transfer dates between successive owners.
Overview
The Grand Vizier Crossing the Atmeydanı (Horse Square) is an oil painting created by Jean Baptiste Vanmour in 1728. It is now held in the Rijksmuseum.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Jean Baptiste Vanmour or Van Mour (9 January 1671 – 22 January 1737) was a Flemish-French painter, remembered for his detailed portrayal of life in the Ottoman Empire during the Tulip Era and the rule of Sultan Ahmed III.
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L'Eglise Saincte Sophie de Constantinople, bastie par Constantin le Grand; a present Mosquée du Grand seigneur- Constantinople. From the Entrance to the Golden Horn