Circle of Francesco Fontebasso

Woelm family, Eschwege, Germany;
From whom acquired by Dr. Schlote;
From whom acquired by a private collector in the 1960s, and thence by descent to his son;
By whom (anonymously) sold, London, Christie's, 12 December 2001, lot 86;
There acquired by the present collector.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This large work is unlined. There is a reinforcement in the center of the reverse, addressing a damage in the elbow of the elderly figure in white. There are three smaller reinforcements on the reverse addressing small damages around the legs of the figures on the left side and in front of the waist of the page in white, and another reinforcement addressing a small loss in the lower right. The tacking edges have become detached across the top and along the right side, and have required some facing paper to secure the weakened areas. The paint layer is visibly cracked. This may be a work that should be carefully lined, which would eliminated the raised cracking and provide a structurally sound work for the future. A cleaning test has been made at the top of the blue banner, another in front of the lead horses on the far left, a third behind the heads of the camels on the right, and another in the ground in the lower right. There are a few sloppy retouches in the dark brown horse towards the back of the procession. While this work would benefit from restoration, it is in excellent condition in many respects.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This procession of resplendently dressed Turkish officials on horseback exemplifies the fascination in 18^th century Europe for the exotic culture of the Islamic world, and the rococo fashion for Turquerie.  By the late 17^th century, the Turkish military threat to Europe had receded and, by the early 18^th century, diplomatic relationships between the Ottoman and European nations increased.  In 1721, the visit to Paris of Mehmet Efendi, ambassador of Sultan Ahmet III to the court of Louis XV, was the occasion for impressive public festivities which were recorded by a number of artists, most notably Charles Parrocel.  At around this same time, contemporary translations of The Thousand and One Nights were adding to the public’s captivation with the Islamic world. Throughout Europe it soon became fashionable to dress all turqua and, to have one’s portrait painted wearing exotic garments.  In Italy, it was a foreigner, Field Marshal Johann Matthias von Schulenburg, who introduced the fashion for quadri turchi.  He had fought successfully against the Turks during the Austro-Hungarian campaign of 1687-8 and was idolized by the Venetians after his victory in the defense of Corfu in 1715.  He eventually retired to live in Venice, and in 1741 commissioned Antonio Guardi to paint a series of forty-three scenes of daily life in Turkey.  It is very possible that an artist in the circle of Fontebasso, who was also employed by Schulenburg and was acquainted with the Guardi family, knew these pictures by Antonio Guardi. Although a few artists, such as the Renaissance painters Gentile Bellini and Pieter Coecke van Aelst, had travelled to Constantinople, Jean-Baptiste van Mour (1671-1737) was the first European artist to live there.  His portraits of dignitaries, depictions of audiences with the Sultan, and other major events proved extremely popular and reached a larger audience through engravings made after his work.  However, the majority of artists who painted Turquerie scenes, including Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Giambattista Tiepolo and Antoine Watteau, never went to Turkey.  It is highly possible that this painting, even though rich in detail, does not depict an actual event but is a creation of the artist’s imagination.