Figures gathered in Scutari, Constantinople, the Golden Horn beyond

This lively scene of wealthy families at leisure, enjoying a day out from the city, is situated on the wooded slopes of the hills above Scutari (modern Üsküdar), on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. With his customary gusto and light, humorous touch, Preziosi depicts women and children picnicking (one of the ladies has lowered her flimsy gauze veil to flirt with the viewer), a group of musicians, somewhat down-at-heel, an old man seated by his resting oxen, and another group of women, peering out from beneath the fringed canopy of their araba. Behind them is another araba, horse-drawn with closed sides, and, beyond, further groups of men and women beneath the trees. The road back to Scutari descends behind them, with, on the shoreline to left, the Selimye Barracks. On the far side of the Bosphorus, the view extends from the Sea of Marmara to Dolmabahçe Sarayı, the brand-new imperial residence. Preziosi here skilfully combines lively foreground incident with an accurately rendered distant panorama, encompassing the old city of Stamboul, the Golden Horn and Pera, the predominantly European district of the city.

We are grateful to Briony Llewellyn and Charles Newton for their assistance in cataloguing the present lot.