Gilles Edme Petit (1694–1760): Four Engravings Depicting Ottoman Ambassadors—portrait

Framed in pairs in two gilded frames with glass that is likely period, the portraits consist of engravings cut out and assembled into oval medallions, mounted on silk—some embroidered with metal thread—against mirrored backgrounds, identification cartouches in Latin and French.
Overall dimensions: H 28 x W 30.5 cm
Miniature dimensions: H 14.5 x W 9.5 cm (each portrait)
In excellent condition; frames are later additions.

Gilles Edme Petit (1694–1760), a printer in Paris, created these portraits of Ottoman ambassadors around 1742. Other examples are held at the British Museum (inv. 1863,1017.122), the Rijksmuseum (inv. RP-P-1905-4876), and in a collection sold at Bonhams, London, April 15, 2010, no. 253.

The four ambassadors are Said Ahmet Aga, Grand Marshal of the French Embassy; Said Pasha of Rumelia; Mehmet Efendi Tefterdar, ambassador to Louis XV in 1721; and Mehmet Mesoud Bey, son of Said Pasha.

The set of prints also included a portrait of Sultan Mahmud I, whose reign from 1730 to 1754 corresponds to the period when these prints were produced.
These four prints were embellished with shimmering textiles, cut out and then glued on, intended to enhance the ambassadors’ costumes. These are “embellished prints,” which were very fashionable in the 18th century.

Inscriptions:

Said Pasha Beglierbey of Rumeli
Mehemet Meshoud Bey, son of H.E. Sultan Said Pasha Beglierbey of Romili.

Zaïmde Boziazi.