Oil on relined canvas, 34 x 25.5 cm, including frame 48.5 x 39 cm.

With possibly later inscription: "Turchinna med sin sohn i spatzer drägt".

Compare with a similar composition sold at Christie's, London, 5 July 1996, lot 73.

Jean Baptiste Vanmour was a French painter of Flemish origin, born in Valenciennes in 1671 and active mainly in Istanbul, where he died in 1737. Thought to have trained under Jacques-Albert Gérin, he travelled to Istanbul in 1699 in the company of the French ambassador Charles de Ferriol.

Vanmour became one of the leading European painters depicting life at the Ottoman court. His works include representations of Ottoman dignitaries, court ceremonies, costume studies, scenes of daily life and views of Istanbul. It is also believed that Vanmour maintained a workshop in Istanbul employing local assistants, which may have continued operating for some time after his death.

PROVENANCE
Stockholms Auktionsverk, 14 May 1997, lot 1160, as by Georg Engelhard Schröder.
Art dealer Lars Olson, Uppsala.

EXPERTISE
Stéphane Pinta, Cabinet Turquin, Paris.