Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky

Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) has long marked the historic boundary of East and West, both topographically and culturally, for its seven hills are divided by the Bosphorus, or Istanbul strait, which serves as a physical boundary between Europe and Asia. Once the capital of the Byzantine, Roman and Ottoman empires, and now the capital of Turkey, it was still at the height of its glory when Aivazovsky first visited in 1845. In a letter from that same year, Aivazovsky expressed his particular enchantment with Constantinople: "there is nothing more majestic than this city; here one forgets both Naples and Venice." He was so captivated that he returned at least four more times during the course of his career.

The cultural similarities between Constantinople and his birthplace of Theodosia may partially explain Aivazovsky's passion for the Turkish seascape. The two cities were separated by only two hundred miles across the Black Sea, and Constantinople accomodated a large Armenian community; reciprocally, Theodosia was viewed by the Ottomans as a Küçük Stambul, or a little Istanbul.

Aivazovsky painted numerous views of Constantinople under various light conditions, and throughout his prodigious career, he received important commissions and accolades from Russian Emperors and Sultans alike.  The present lot exhibits a masterful evocation of the sun's early morning glow. The artist manages to recreate an entire atmosphere for the splendid Golden Horn, and each detail--the calm, glassy water; the sliver of moon in the upper left; the awakening city beyond, still hazy and yet majestic--contributes to its climate of rousing energy and hope.