Young Girl

After the death of his father Sultan Abdiilaziz, Abdülmecid Efendi began living in the Feriye Palace, moving into Dolmabahçe Palace in 1918 when he rose to the rank of crown prince. Books and libraries had always been extremely important for Ottoman sultans. Abdülmecid Efendi maintained this tradition; setting up a substantial library and transferring it everywhere he lived. The prince, who had mastered Western languages and cultures by virtue of his private education, had over 10.000 works in German and French, as well as in Ottoman Turkish, Farsi and Arabic in his library. Abdülmecid Efendi's library collection consisted of many books, purchased both in Istanbul and by mail order from Europe, on literature, music, and politics; as well as a great number of local and foreign newspapers and magazines to which he was subscribed. Encyclopedias, dictionaries, family photographs and many albums made up the most notable pieces in the collection. Out of the 500 works in the library pertaining to the fine arts, 236 of them were on painting. His collection of postcards, which included written correspondence he received from various individuals, as well as images of museum buildings and collections from Europe and Istanbul, hints at his various areas of interest.

This Portrait of a Young Girl, a pastel on paper work by Abdülmecid Efendi dated to 1906, is a painting that the prince made as a copyist (referring to someone who copies a work of art from an already existing one). The original painting in this case is the Portrait of Beatrice Cenci dated 1599, attributed to the Italian artist Guido Reni (1575-1642), who belonged to the Bologna school and was a representative of Baroque classicism. The oil on canvas portrait is currently on display in the Palazzo Barberini in Rome.

Guido Reni, like every Baroque artist, was adept at using gestures, body language and facial expressions to create a sentimental and evocative image. Beatrice's demure, bashful expression, and the innocent way she looks over her shoulder, call to mind her tragic story. Beatrice lived a life of oppression in a castle, and she, with the support of her siblings and stepmother, plotted the murder of her father, a depraved and destitute man. Investigations following his death uncovered the truth behind his murder, and Beatrice was sentenced to death by Pope Clement VIII (1536-1605).

It is not possible to find out whether Abdülmecid Efendi was familiar with this story, but it is possible that he had access to a copy of the portrait via a publication or postcard in his library. The Guido Reni portrait depicts a delicate young lady, whereas Abdülmecid Efendi's painting shows a more stout, childlike figure, with a rounder face. Guido Reni's dramatic treatment of light has been further accentuated in the prince's painting due to the use of pastels.