Rhyanon Demery
Head of Sale
Lot 134
Vittorio Amedeo Preziosi(Maltese, 1816-1882)The Galata Bridge, Istanbul
26 February 2020, 13:00 GMT
London, Knightsbridge£8,000 - £12,000
Looking for a similar item?
Our Travel & Exploration specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
Leo Webster
Senior Specialist
Vittorio Amedeo Preziosi (Maltese, 1816-1882)
The Galata Bridge, Istanbul
signed and dated 'Preziosi 1859' (lower centre)
pen and ink and watercolour and bodycolour
55.5 x 74cm (21 7/8 x 29 1/8in).
signed and dated 'Preziosi 1859' (lower centre)
pen and ink and watercolour and bodycolour
55.5 x 74cm (21 7/8 x 29 1/8in).
Footnotes
The first bridge that crossed the Golden Horn at Galata was called the Cisr-i Cedid (New Bridge). Constructed of wood in 1845, about three years after Preziosi had settled in Istanbul, it lasted until it was replaced by another wooden structure in 1863-4. This typical view by the artist shows the activity of the watermen with their boats in the foreground and the throng of humanity crossing the bridge. Dominating the foreshore to the left is the Yeni Cami, the last of the imperial mosques, and to the right, on the hill, is the great Süleymaniye mosque complex; between them, just above the centre of the bridge, is the much smaller mosque of Rüstem Pasha.