Interior of the Mosque of Aya Sofya, Istanbul [Interior of Hagia Sophia, Constantinople]
1840
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
![Interior of the Mosque of Aya Sofya, Istanbul [Interior of Hagia Sophia, Constantinople]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/f81f7cc6554fed68/full.webp)
1840
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
This watercolor shows Hagia Sophia’s grand interior in 1840-41, when it was still a mosque. Artist John Frederick Lewis captures its vast space with quiet skill—mostly pencil, a little color, and a few bright red fezzes in the crowd. Lewis lived in Turkey and Egypt, making small studies like this. The sketch feels spare yet alive, focusing on the mosque’s eastern end and its painted name plaques. Look next at the Romanticism movement.
