The Legacies
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Here the term ‘Levantine’ is used in its broadest sense as none of these famed artists were born in Turkey and only a few died there. However they all spent a considerable part of their lives in the Levant and their legacy is associated with that of the Levant.
Below is a roughly chronological though incomplete listing of semi-permanent resident artists:
| Name | Date of arrival to Istanbul | Details |
| Jean-Baptist
Vanmour (1671-1737) |
c.1699 | Flemish painter who accompanied the French ambassador to Constantinople and then worked mainly for French and other ambassadors in Turkey where he settled, lived for 37 years and eventually died. An example of his work. |
| Antoine Ignace Melling (1763-1831) | c.1782 | Worked as architect to the
Sultana Hatice in Constantinople, and remained for about 18 years.
Melling trained as an artist and architect, arrived
in Constantinople when he was only nineteen. A member of the Russian
ambassador's household, he drew pictures for various dignitaries
and was soon introduced to Hatice Sultan, sister and confidente
of Selim III. Impressed by the splendid garden of Baron Hubsch,
minister of Saxony, the princess employed Melling to design something
similar for her palace at Ortakeï. Delighted with the result,
she then asked Melling to redecorate the interior of the palace
and, subsequently, commissioned him to design for her a completely
new palace in the neoclassical style at Defterdarburnu. In this
way, Melling became closely attached to the Ottoman court and
was probably more familiar with the Ottoman palace than any Western
artist since Gentile Bellini. Originally produced for the Sultan
and his sister, his drawings of the city and the Bosphorus, Buyukdere,
Bebek, the port, the arsenal are masterpieces of accurate observation.
They include what is probably the sole accurate representation
of the interior of an imperial harem. Melling returned to Paris
in about 1803 and in 1804 issued a prospectus for the Voyage.
Publication eventually began in 1809 and thirteen livraisons were
issued, the work being completed by 1819. The outstanding success
of the exhibition of the paintings on which the Voyage pittoresque
de Constantinople was based, earned Melling the title of
painter to the Empress Joséphine. |
| Thomas Allom (1804-72) | c.1838 from England | A travelling architect and draughtsman, some examples of his work. |
| Amadeo Preziosi (1816-1882) | 1842 from Malta | Buried in the Catholic cemetery of Yesilköy (Aya Stefanos) / Istanbul. |
| Fausto Zonaro (1854-1891) | 1891 from Masi, Italy | The Sultan at the time bestowed upon him the title ‘Ressam-i hazret-i sehriyari’ |
| Leonardo De Mango (1843-1930) | ||
| Giovanni Brindesi | 1850s from Italy |
As can be seen there was a steady stream of Western artists who came to Istanbul and fewer to Izmir and elsewhere in Turkey for inspiration such as Sir David Wilke, however these transients cannot be considered to be Levantines. The only truly Levantine watercolour artist of note seems to be Sydney La Fontaine, of which only examples now 4 survive, through the vagaries of time.
As with other aspects, Istanbul is better covered in books on etchings and travellers descriptions catering for the European appetite for ‘Orientalism’, ref: ‘Gravür ve seyahatnamelerinde Istanbul (18. yüzyil sonu ve 19. yüzyıl) – Necla Arslan – Istanbul Büyükşehir belediyesi kültür işleri daire baskanlığı yayınları no:9 1992’ [Istanbul in etchings and travellers descriptions, end of 18th century and 19th]
A former director of Shell International Petroleum Company, Rodney Searight who worked in the Near East for many years, began collecting in the 1960s when there was little interest in oriental artists and his work led to the creation of the ‘Searight Collection’ in the Victoria & Albert Museum. This collection, 2000 watercolours and drawings, several thousand prints and several hundred illustrated travel books, is mostly of depictions of the lands of the Ottoman Empire and over 500 artists and travellers, mostly British are represented. A book is available to display some examples, (Voyages & Visions: Nineteenth-Century European Images of the Middle East from the Victoria and Albert Museum Esin Atl, Charles Newton, Sarah Searight, Victoria and Albert Museum - 1995) and there is an online archive magazine article ‘Vision of the Middle East’ viewable here.
However there is a minor fringe of ‘Levantine’ artists in this collection, which will be investigated and possibly reveal the nature of lesser known artists such as ‘Commander Corrrelli’, M.C. Robinson, Raffael Corsini and Tristram Ellis.
Notes:
1- Recently (Jan-Feb 2003) there was a major exhibition of Fausto Zonaro’s work in Istanbul and in conjunction with that a book has been published, ‘Ottoman court painter Fausto Zonaro – Osman Öndeş and Erol Makzume – YKY Istanbul and reviewed in the cultural magazine Cornucopia issue 28.
2- For a more detailed look at the fine arts heritage of foreign visitors to Istanbul, web site, and a listing of W. H. Bartlett's illustrations in the ‘beauties of the Bosphorus - Miss Pardoe’ as examples 1, 2 & 3.
3- There is an interesting ‘art and diplomacy at Constantinople’, article by Philip Mansel that demonstrates how the particular conditions enjoyed by the foreign ambassadors of the past ensured their residences became a depositary of fine art, ensuring the survival of many paintings to this day, and thus a visual window to the past.
4- Levantines also featured as sitters for various visiting portrait painters, in oriental garb, in the fashion of the time - examples:
5- If photography can be considered an art form, then here too we encounter the contribution of long-term Westerners and Levantines based in Turkey and Egypt. These include, for Constantinople: James Robertson, E. Coronza, Pascal Sebah (1823-1886), G. Berggren, Chusseau Flaviens, for Smyrna: Rubellin, A. Svoboda, Félix Bonfils, S.L. Cassar and others. Some of these old photos can be viewed here: and further information here:
