Kiosque Bebék, on the Shores of the Bosphorus.

MELLING, Antoine Ignace "Desiné par Melling. Gravé à l'Eau-forte par Pillement fils. Terminé par Duparc." Kiosk of Bebék, Pavillion for conferences of the Ministers of the Grand Porte with the Great Foreign Powers, on the European bank of the Bosphorus. "KIosque de Bebék, Pavillion destné aux Conférences des Ministres de la Porte Ottoman, avec ceux des Puisances Etrangères, Sur la Rive Européenedu Bosphore." Paris, Strassburg & London Treuttel et Würtz 1819
Large copper engraving of the "Kiosk Bebêk" on the shores of the Bosphorus, from Antoine Ignace Melling's " Voyage Pittoresque de Constantinople et des Rives du Bosphore."Plate 29; black and white.
The plate shows the building on the shores of the Bospherus, with hills and trees behind. Various boats are approaching, one flies the French flag.
The seaside kiosk of Sultan Selim III at Bebek, on the European shores of Bosporus where the Sultan and other Ottoman officials of high ranks gave audience to representatives of foreign states. Dark impression; clean and bright; large margins; from an unfolded copy, but unfortunately has centre fold crease break at left plate line reinforced to verso; minor chips, tears to edges of page, 1 slightly longer tear (40mm) repaired to verso.

MELLING, Antoine Ignace (1763-1831).

Melling, who was trained in both architecture and painting, went to the city at the age of nineteen as a member of the Russian ambassador's retinue, and remained there for eighteen years. He became architect to Hatice Sultan, Selim III's sister, and the favour of the sultan himself eventually allowed him to study the interior of the Harem and other palaces. He returned to Paris in 1803, but despite producing a prospectus for his work soon afterwards, only began publication in 1809, finally completing it in 1819. The plates include some of the earliest interior views of the harem and the sultan's palaces, besides stunning delineations of the city's skylines, often with members of Ottoman society in the foreground.
Atabey: 798-799; Blackmer /Navari:1105; Brunet: III, 1591; Lipperheide:LB 41. 480 by 675mm (19 by 26½ inches).   ref: 2384  €850