Artwork
Turkish sultans, sultanas and other historical figures
Turkish sultans, sultanas and other historical figures is a print by the Baroque artist Johann Lorenz Honing. It dates from 1702 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1702, this print by Johann Lorenz Honing depicts a Turkish figure and is part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection. The work belongs to a series that presents sultans, sultanas and other notable personalities from Ottoman history, rendered in a single‑plate print format typical of early eighteenth‑century European graphic art.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is a man with a solemn expression, dressed in a high‑collared coat and a turban, his hair arranged in loose curls. He holds a folded document in his left hand, suggesting a diplomatic or administrative role, while an ornamental oval frame of swirling foliage crowns his head, emphasizing his status as a distinguished historical personage.
Technique & Style
Honing employs pronounced chiaroscuro, using deep shadows to isolate the sitter’s face from a lighter background. This contrast heightens the three‑dimensional effect and draws the viewer’s eye to the facial features. The decorative border, filled with stylized leaves and flowers, reflects the Baroque taste for elaborate framing that was common in prints intended for a learned European audience.
History & Provenance
The print entered the Victoria and Albert Museum’s holdings as part of its extensive collection of early modern European prints. Its attribution to Honing, an Austrian engraver active in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, is supported by stylistic analysis and contemporary catalogues that list similar works produced for the Viennese market.
Artist & collection
Artist
These prints bring 17th-century Ottoman rulers to life with careful lines and shading.
