The Sultan's Procession: The Swedish Embassy to Sultan Mehmed IV in 1657-1658 and the Ralamb Paintings

by Karin Adahl (Editor)

Overview

In 1657 King Charles X Gustaf of Sweden sent Claes Rålamb as an envoy to Sultan Mehmed IV's court. While he was there Rålamb commissioned 20 large paintings in oil on canvas, depicting an imperial procession through Istanbul in September 1657, providing a revealing insight into the court of Sultan Mehmed IV in Ottoman Turkey.
For the first time Rålamb's paintings are published here in 'The Sultan's Procession'. This beautifully illustrated book - containing over 150 colour illustrations - comprehensively covers the full history of the paintings, including a technical analysis from the conservation of one of the paintings. The book also provides a full history of Claes Rålamb and his mission, including the political background of the Swedish embassy, Rålamb's biography and English translations of primary sources in Swedish and Turkish archives. Among the illustrations are over 100 watercolours of people in the Ottoman society from the costume album acquired by Rålamb in Istanbul.
These unique Rålamb paintings provide a rare window into life at the Ottoman court in the 17th century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789186884185
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/15/2007
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	9.16(w) x 11.63(h) x 1.52(d)

About the Author

Karin Ådahl is Associate Professor in art history at Uppsala University and an art historian. She is the director of the Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul.

Table of Contents

Foreword -- Karin Ådahl
• Claes Brorson Rålamb's embassy to the Sublime Porte in 1657-1658 -- Karin Ådahl
• Claes Rålamb: Statesman, scholar and ambassador -- Sten Westerberg
• Ten cities that Rålamb visited; The political and cultural climate of Istanbul in the 1650´s -- Cemal Kafadar
• The twenty paintings depicting the Sultans' Procession -- Karin Ådahl
• '20 large Turkish paintings with wooden frames': the 350-year history of the Rålamb paintings -- Per Falck
• The Rålamb paintings
• Processions and protocol in Ottoman Istanbul -- Nurhan Atasoy
• The Rålamb album of Turkish costumes -- Tadeusz Majda
• The Rålamb caftan and Ottoman textiles from the Rålamb collection -- Margareta Nockert
• The Rålamb collections in the National Library and National Archives -- Göran Bäärnhielm
• The documents concerning Ottoman-Swedish relations in Turkish archives -- Zeki Kavanoz
• Technical analysis of the Rålamb paintings and the conservation of painting Q -- Sara Ellenius
• Bibliography
• Index *