A series of 65 paintings by Jean Baptiste Vanmour, depicting the diplomatic and social life of the Ottoman Empire during the Tulip Period, are on exhibition at the Rijks Museum in the Netherlands, which houses one of the largest art and historical collections in the country.
Sint Nicolaas, who works in the history department of the Rijks Museum, stated to Anadolu Agency (AA) that Vanmour drew the Ottoman paintings during his time with the Dutch ambassador to the Ottoman Empire Cornelis Calkoen.
Sint Nicolaas said: "Vanmour presents us not only with portraits of the diplomatic and bureaucratic world of the Ottoman Empire's Tulip Period but also with portraits of the social and cultural life of that time." He also added that Vanmour conveyed the spiritual world of that period by depicting the ecstatic state of the Sufis and portraits of dervishes.
According to Sint Nicolaas, Calkoen asked Vanmour to depict the ceremony in which he would present his letter of credence to Sultan Ahmed III, adding: "On Sept. 14, 1727, Calkoen appeared before Sultan Ahmed III with the Dutch delegation. Vanmour depicted the different stages of this ceremony in three separate paintings. These are the centerpieces of the collection."
He also mentioned that other ambassadors who attended meetings also asked Vanmour to paint their portraits, but only the 65 paintings in the possession of Calkoen were highly praised.
The collection includes portraits of important figures in the social and political life of the Ottoman Empire.
Sint Nicolaas highlighted other remarkable works by Vanmour, such as the "amen parade for children" depicting the start of school for children that takes four years, four months, and four days, the celebrations of non-Muslims, a Greek wedding and paintings depicting Ottoman Istanbul.
"Thanks to Vanmour's close ties with the wife of the British ambassador of the time, he was able to depict events that only involved women by listening to what was happening and drawing the scenes of places he could not personally attend," he said. He also drew attention to Vanmour's special interest in Ottoman costumes, mentioning that the collection includes 32 portraits of individuals from various professions in their traditional attire.
