Antoine-Ignace Melling

Adèle Melling (née Clerget, wife of the artist); thence by descent to the previous owner

Paris 1991, p. 32, illustrated
Perrot, Hitzel & Anhegger 2001, p. 8, illustrated

Executed on Edmeads and Pine paper (with a part watermark E&P). There are some old creases in the sheet (just visible in the illustration). There are some scattered tiny spots of foxing, and the sheet is slightly browner in colour than in the illustration. Overall this work is in good condition. The part watermark in this sheet shows that it was made by Richard Edmeads and John Pine, who worked Ivy Mill in the Loose valley near Maidstone, Kent, between 1780 and 1805 although versions of the E & P watermark continued in use at the mill until 1808. The missing part of the watermark would have been a year date. E & P watermarks, in the form seen in this sheet, are found with various dates from 1795 – 1804, the most commonly found being 1802.
"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."

This detailed drawing of the Tophane fountain shows the working methods behind Melling's highly worked watercolours. Born in Karlsruhe into a family of artists and trained in Strasbourg, at the age of nineteen Melling embarked on a journey across the Mediterranean culminating in Constantinople in 1784, where he remained for eighteen years. He was introduced to Sultan Selim III's sister, Sultane Hatice who, in 1795, commissioned him to remodel her palace at Ortakoy. On Hatice's recommendation, Melling was appointed Court architect to Selim III which gave him a privileged opportunity to observe the court. In 1800 he fell into disgrace after falling in love and fathering a child with a Genoese girl. On his return to France in 1802, many of his watercolours of Constantinople were reproduced as engravings, forty-eight of which were published in the album Voyage pittoresque de Constantinople et des rives du Bosphore in 1819 (see lot 277). 

The Tophane Fountain is located in the Tophane district of Beyoğlu and was built upon the orders of Sultan Mahmut I (1730-1754) in 1732. The fountain is a work of art by the architect Mehmet Ağa and its history was detailed by the poet Nahifi. It also forms an architectural unity with the Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque (seen in the background in the following lot). The name, meaning 'cannon foundry fountain', comes from the brick and stone foundry building on the hill nearby, established in 1453 by Mehmet the Conqueror. With its elegant roof and dome, it resembles the fountain of Ahmet III outside the Topkapi palace. Each of the four walls is entirely covered in low-relief floral carving, which would once have been vividly painted. Melling has used a system of Arabic and Latin numbers in his drawing to indicate the colours needed in his finished watercolour.