Costumes civils et militaires Ottomans en 1829.

161 numbered watercolours of Turkish costumes, each 186 x 122mm., on paper (occasional watermarks "JW" or "Fellows 1817" - for the latter see plate no.2 and 9), together with a folded manuscript index, all loose in a contemporary marbled boards chemise and slipcase, the slipcase with manuscript label as above

Condition is good
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A very large collection of Turkish costume drawings.

Whilst some of these watercolours show similar characteristics to the most popular Turkish costume book of the age, Dalvimart's The Costume of Turkey, it does not appear that they are direct copies. For example comparison may be made between number 117 and Dalvimart's no.17 (from the undated 8vo edition), also 103 and 49 (usher), 89 and 54 (sailor), 20 and 58 (Bostandji Bachi), 57 and 46 (dervish), 97 and 48 (confectioner), and 93 and 55 (stool-bearer). In addition the distinctive Ladle-bearer to the Janissaries (Dalvimart's plate 5) does not appear in this collection.

Further comparison may be made with watercolour costume plates illustrated in Navari's bibliography of Atabey's collection, The Ottoman World, such as no.159 (Atabey p.151, a knife grinder, described as an "unusual figure") and no.93 (p.472 - also Dalvimart's pl.55) but the greatest similarity appears to be with the images from Atabey pp.660-1 (no.1 and 57 in the present series). These would suggest the same artist at work. Interestingly, although Navari describes them as "mostly after Dalvimart", the image on p.660 (our no.1, Sultan Mahmud) is not present in Dalvimart.

Clearly the sheer number of images in this album (161, as opposed to Dalvimart's 60) means that a great number derive from other sources or are original to this album. The greatest number in an album in the Atabey collection was 199, thereafter the most was 129 subjects.

The index, which gives the Turkish name and its translation into Italian (12pp., stitched) is titled "Costumes de l'Empire Ottoman avant les réformer ordonnées par le Sultan Mahmud entre les années [inscription ends]".