Apartment in the Palace of Eyüp, the residence of Asmé Sultana

Description

Featured in the 1836 collaborative work of Thomas Allom and Robert Walsh, this steel engraving depicts the magnificent interior of the palace (yalı) in Eyüp belonging to Esma Sultan, one of the most influential female figures of the Ottoman Empire. While the artwork centers on the era's high wooden ceiling craftsmanship, finely carved wall panels, and aesthetic architectural details, it reflects a formal reception (arz) scene taking place in the room. The figures seated on wide divans smoking long pipes and the standing retinue aesthetically visualize the living spaces and palace protocol of the high administrative elite in the 19th-century Ottoman capital.