One of the notable works of Ottoman painter Osman Hamdi Bey, "Cami Kapısında" ("At the Mosque Door”), will go under the hammer in London on March 25.
The painting will be offered to collectors at the “19th Century Paintings and British Impressionist Art” auction organized by Bonhams.
According to a statement from Bonhams, the work, purchased directly from the artist in 1895, will appear at auction for the first time. The painting is estimated to fetch between 2 million and 3 million pounds ($2.5 million-$3.8 million).
Charles O’Brien, Bonhams’ director of 19th-century paintings, said the piece is among Osman Hamdi Bey’s most striking works, adding that both its scale and intricate details strongly reflect the artist’s distinctive style.
O’Brien noted that the painting combines a contemporary street scene with architectural elements from a 15th-century Ottoman mosque, making it an important example for understanding the orientalist artistic approach produced by an Ottoman artist.
The setting depicted in “At the Mosque Door” is believed to be the main entrance gate of Muradiye Mosque in Bursa, and the artist is said to have portrayed himself as three different figures in the composition.
Bonhams previously set a record for the artist in 2019 when it sold Osman Hamdi Bey’s “Young Woman Reading” for 6.6 million pounds, the highest auction price achieved for his work.
Osman Hamdi Bey, who studied in Paris under Gustave Boulanger and renowned orientalist painter Jean-Leon Gerome, is considered among the artists who built a bridge between the Ottoman and European art worlds.
Appointed director of the Istanbul Archaeology Museums in 1881, Osman Hamdi Bey laid the foundations of modern museology in Türkiye. He also played a historic role in protecting cultural heritage by introducing the Asar-i Atika Regulation, which banned the export of antiquities abroad.
