Silâhdar Aga, or sword bearer to the Sultan

The watercolour combines the rich, saturated pigments typical of Ottoman miniature and body‑colour traditions with a European approach to perspective and spatial organization. Scholars suggest the hand behind the work belonged to a Greek artist linked to the workshop of Konstantin Kapidagli, whose style bridges Eastern decorative detail and Western representational conventions.

The young neo‑classical architect Charles Cockerell met the same artist in 1810, later reproducing some of the views; those copies reside in the British Museum.

Stratford Canning commissioned the series after arriving in Istanbul in 1808, employing a local artist to record his observations. The young neo‑classical architect Charles Cockerell met the same artist in 1810, later reproducing some of the views; those copies reside in the British Museum. The original watercolours remained in Canning’s family until his daughter Charlotte sold them to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1895.

The drawings were produced at a time when European diplomats increasingly sought visual records of the Ottoman Empire, both for diplomatic purposes and for satisfying the growing curiosity of Western audiences about Eastern cultures. The series reflects a cross‑cultural exchange, merging Ottoman artistic techniques with the emerging European interest in accurate architectural documentation.