Bab-i-Hümayün (Imperial Gate) to Topkapi Sarayi, with the Fountain of Sultan Ahmet III

The anonymous artist's style blends Ottoman watercolour and bodycolour techniques, characterized by dense, brilliant hues, with European perspective and representation conventions, indicative of cross-cultural artistic exchange in early 19th-century Istanbul.

Commissioned by Stratford Canning during his diplomatic mission to Istanbul (starting 1808), the series was later acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1895 from Canning's daughter, Charlotte.

Created during a period of European diplomatic engagement with the Ottoman Empire, the work reflects the curiosity of Western diplomats about Ottoman culture and institutions, facilitated by local artistic talent.

While the artist remains unnamed, the work influenced Charles Cockerell, a future neo-classical architect, who interacted with the artist in Istanbul and later produced copies of similar views, now housed in the British Museum.