Namaz Ablution and the Tomb of Sultan Mustafa III, Hand Colored, 1842

An original antique lithograph with hand coloring, from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). In the upper image a bearded old man in a turban, a fur lined vest, a purple sleeved jacket and red trousers sits cross legged on a green rug before a divan upholstered in flowered fabric, holding his forearms over a wide basin. A young servant in a red cap with a white turban, a long yellow robe and a striped sash kneels beside him and pours water from a silver ewer. The lower image shows a domed tomb building of many sides with two rows of arched and square windows, a porch at its side roofed by small domes and supported on slender columns, set on a raised platform. Two figures stand and sit on the grass before it, and domes, a minaret and trees show in the distance.

The top margin is lettered "Tom. IV" at upper left, "TURCHIA EUROPEA" at center and "Tav 121" at upper right. The captions read "Bagno o Cermonia detta il Namaz" (Bath, or the ceremony called the Namaz) and "Esterno del turbè ove giace Mustafà III e suoi figli" (Exterior of the tomb where Mustafa III and his sons lie).

Namaz is the Turkish word for the Muslim ritual prayer, which is preceded by washing the hands, arms, face and feet, the act shown here. A türbe is an Ottoman mausoleum. Mustafa III was Ottoman sultan from 1757 to 1774 and was buried in Constantinople beside the Laleli Mosque, which he founded.

The interior scene and the architectural view complement each other well and suit a collection of Ottoman subjects.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.