Lecomte Prétextat (pera, Istanbul, 1890s) – Grand Romantic Landscape With Ruins And Scenes Of Fishing

Large oil on canvas, signed and dated on the reverse “Prétextat / 1887”, a work by the painter and mosaicist Lecomte Prétextat, active in the 1890s in Pera, the cosmopolitan district of Istanbul where European workshops, Orientalist painters, and decorative artisans mingled. The panoramic composition unfolds a historicizing landscape where ancient ruins, waterfalls, and Mediterranean shores are arranged in a meticulously crafted composition. On the left, sailboats glide across a calm sea, while in the foreground, two fishermen cross a ford, accompanied by a small dog. On the right, a young woman sits by the stream untangling a net, introducing an intimate touch into this majestic setting. In the distance, a monumental aqueduct, crenellated towers, and architectural remains evoke both classical Italy and the Romantic taste for a reinvented Antiquity. The whole testifies to Prétextat's refined visual culture, influenced by the idealized landscapes of the 18th century while bearing the stylistic signature of the artists active around Péra at the end of the 19th century: luminous palette, rosy atmospheres, narrative balance and developed decorative sense.