Said Paşa Waterfront Mansion

The painting is a copy of the composition printed as an engraving in the first volume of Thomas Allom’s book Constantinople and Scenery of Seven Churches of Asia Minor. In this painting, the Ottoman artist Civanyan uses the above-mentioned source to depict an older view of Istanbul that predates him. Although it is not reflected in Civanyan’s painting, according to Walsh, Said Pafla, took advantage of a privilege that was not granted to the non-Muslim subjects of the Empire, and had his mansion painted in a rose colour to imply his marital bliss with this symbolic color. While this non-extant mansion in Bebek, which once belonged to Said Pafla –who was married to Mahmud II’s daughter Mihrimah Sultan– dominates the painting, the work also reflects various segments of daily life of Istanbul, a city surrounded by seas. Among such details, the porters pulling the boats along the shore –as this is the part of the Bosphorus with the strongest current– are particularly striking.