Watercolors, c.1800

“Costumes Turcs” (binding title). Album of watercolors depicting figures of the Ottoman world. Britain, c.1800.

A series of watercolors depicting costumes of the Ottoman Empire. A genre going back to the 16th-century, when European audiences were hungry for new information about the Ottoman world, the costume book provided "exotic" details while showing readers exactly what they expected to see. By the 19th century, these images had become stock figures; many watercolor albums such as this are based on printed compilations of life and dress in the Sublime Porte.

Album (297 x 226mm). 41 watercolor drawings, one [Albanian Bride] heightened in gold, with ink captions, mounted on stubs (small repaired tears at edge of first page, some spotting). Modern brown half morocco over green boards. Provenance: C.J. Arvantidi (morocco label).