- 138
Luigi Mayer fl. 1755-1803
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Luigi Mayer
- View of Constantinople taken from Bulgurlu above Scutari
- Signed on border Luigi Mayer Rome Dipinse (lower right)
- Watercolor and gouache on paper
- 22 1/2 by 35 in.
- 57 by 89 cm.
Provenance
The Fine Art Society, London
Acquired from the above by the present owner, 1985
Acquired from the above by the present owner, 1985
Exhibited
London, Fine Art Society, Travellers: Beyond the Grand Tour, 1980, no. 72
Condition
Not examined out of frame. In good condition. Lightly faded. Scattered handling creases. Crease with possible repair upper right approx. 4 inches from top and 9 inches from right. Possible repaired tear upper center approx. 2-inches in length. Small repair upper right in sky and lower right in brown border. Hard crease upper left corner.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
This work shows a view of Constantinople looking west taken from the Asian side of the Bosphorous. Visible on either side of the Golden Horn are the palace of Topkapi and the various mosques of the city with the Galata Tower on the north side. Mayer was trained in Italy and employed as a draughtsman by Sir Robert Ainslie (1730-1812) while he was British Ambassador in Constantinople between 1776 and 1792. Ainslie became a friend of the Sultan Abdul Ahmed while in Contantinople and recorded the style and splendor of diplomatic life in the city at this period. When Ainslie left Constantinople in 1792, Mayer accompanied him on his journey home through the Balkans. Mayer finished his drawings in England where he remained until his death in 1803. Between 1801 and 1810 Ainslie paid for a series of aquatints to be published based on Mayer's drawings. They are among the earlier extant watercolors of the Eastern Mediterranean and reflect the artist's acute interest in the people, customs and antiquities of the places he visited.