}

Mehmed The Hunter’s Imperial Procession

Paintings commissioned by the 17th century Swedish Ambassador Claes Rålamb

June 1 - October 1, 2006

Sultan Mehmed IV, remembered as Mehmed the Hunter owing to his passion for hunting, departed for Edirne, in 1657 on a hunting expedition. The large entourage that accompanied him was a display of imperial majesty that has been preserved for history as a visual document in the form of a series of oil paintings commissioned by Claes Rålamb, then the Swedish Ambassador to Istanbul.

This almost cinematographic record consisting of a total of twenty paintings is preserved at the Nordiska Museet, Sweden. Sixteen of the paintings that are part of this visual register returned to Istanbul nearly three hundred and fifty years after this event as the guests of the Pera Museum.

Exhibition Catalogue

Mehmed The Hunter’s Imperial Procession

Mehmed The Hunter’s Imperial Procession

Sultan Mehmed IV, remembered as “Mehmed the Hunter” because of his passion for hunting, departed for Edirne in 1657 on a hunting expedition with a large entourage in a display of imperial majesty...

Midnight Stories: COGITO <br> Tevfik Uyar

Midnight Stories: COGITO
Tevfik Uyar

He had imagined the court room as a big place. It wasn’t. It was about the size of his living room, with an elevation at one end, with a dais on it. The judges and the attorneys sat there. Below it was an old wooden rail, worn out in some places. That was his place. There was another seat for his lawyer. At the back, about 20 or 30 chairs were stowed out for the non-existent crowd.

Today's Stories: Cihangir <br>Özge Baykan Calafato

Today's Stories: Cihangir
Özge Baykan Calafato

Inspired by the exhibition Istanbuls TodayToday's Stories series continues with Özge Baykan Calafato's story "Cihangir"! This series gathers short stories written by authors encouraged by the photographs in the exhibition.

The Welcoming of Venetian Balios to Ottoman Lands

The Welcoming of Venetian Balios to Ottoman Lands

The series of paintings depicting the audience ceremonies of European ambassadors hold a unique place among the works of Jean-Baptiste Vanmour of Valenciennes, who lived in İstanbul from 1699 until his death in 1737.