The Laleli Mosque in Istanbul and Two Men in Muslin Turbans, 1842

An original antique lithograph, hand colored, from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). The upper image shows the exterior of a domed mosque washed in pink and terracotta: a large central dome topped by a crescent, smaller domes around it, two tall minarets, an arcaded gallery along the side and a domed range of buildings at the left reached by a broad curving flight of steps. The lower image shows two men in large white muslin turbans, long robes and red sashes with a dagger hilt at the waist, baggy trousers and yellow shoes with red soles: on the left a bearded man in a purple coat with his hand on his chest, on the right a mustached man in a gray green coat over a white robe patterned with red, holding out his hand.

The top margin is lettered "Tav. 117", "TURCHIA EUROPEA" and "Tom. IV". Under the upper image: "Esterno della Moschea Lalely" (Exterior of the Laleli Mosque). Under the lower image: "Europei distinti per i loro turbanti, Mussolina" (Europeans distinguished by their muslin turbans).

The Laleli Mosque stands in Istanbul and was built in the 1760s for Sultan Mustafa III, in the Ottoman Baroque style of that period. Muslin is a fine, lightweight cotton cloth.

The architectural view and the two costume figures balance well, and the plate pairs naturally with other views of Istanbul.

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