Mavi Boncuk |
Hand-coloured lithograph by Louis Dupré entitled 'Un Prince Arménien Et Sa Femme' An Armenian Prince and His Wife (Duzoglou), from a volume by Dupré entitled 'Voyage à Athènes et à Constantinople'. Published in Paris, 1825.
(pictured) Dupré's 1821 self-portrait, depicting himself in Istanbul, in the act of making a drawing of the environment while wearing a curved Turkish sword. Louis Dupré (Versailles 9 January 1789 – 12 October 1837 Paris) was a French painter, especially noted for his travels in Greece and other regions within the Ottoman Empire and of his numerous paintings with Orientalist and Philhellene themes. Louis Dupré had been a student of Jacques-Louis David, and had later become a painter for Jérôme Bonaparte, receiving commissions from the court. Dupré had studied in Italy and had also received commissions during his travels there. He travelled to Greece, during a time when the region's ancient ideals and Hellenistic culture had experienced a revival. It also represented a concerning time for the Ottoman Empire, in terms of keeping their territorial regions under control.
His visit to Greece was on the very eve of the Greek War of Independence. He often traveled and changed his work location, including Paris, Kassel (1811–1814), Naples (1814–1816), Rome (1816–1819, 1824–1831), Naples (1819–1820), Istanbul (c. 1820), Greece (c. 1820), Paris (1820–1837), and Vienna (1820–1824).
Dupré visited Greece in 1819, which had still been part of the Ottoman Empire, and recorded his time there with drawings and descriptions of the people from the different levels of society. His travel book, named Voyage à Athènes et à Constantinople, was produced a few years later after his travels, in 1825. It was released in France after Greece had begun to rebel against the Ottoman Empire. His travel book consists of forty illustrations and accompanied by fifty-two pages of text.
See also: Elisabeth A. Fraser, "Skin of Nation, Body of Empire: Louis Dupré in Ottoman Greece," in Mediterranean Encounters: Artists Between Europe and the Ottoman Empire, 1774-1839, Penn State University Press, 2017. ISBN 978-0-271-07320-0
The Prince of Moldavia, Michael Soutsos.
A Greek Priest and a Turk. DUPRE, Louis.
Voyage a Athenes et a Constantinople, ou Collection de Portraits, de Vues et de Costumes Grecs et Ottomans....
Published
Paris: H. Gache, Imprimerie de Dondey-Dupre, 1825.
References
BL; Atabey 381; BN; Weber 130; Colas 916; not in Abbey; Bobins 137.
Large folio, 40 hand coloured lithographed plates by and after Dupre, and a double page plate of a Turkish passport, 12 vignettes in the letterpress. Contemporary quarter morocco backed marbled boards, with fresh leather corners, new cloth hinges, initials A.P. at base of spine, lettered in gilt to spine with blind raised bands. Boards rubbed and worn in places. Bookplate of 'Norman. R. Bobins' to front pastedown. Dupre had been a pupil of David's studio. Recommended by Cardinal Fetch in 1811, Dupre became the official court painter at Kassel to King Jerome of Westphalia. He obtained a pension to live in Italy and divided his time between Naples and Rome from 1814. In 1819 he managed a six month journey to Greece and Constantinople, where he stayed for three months. he was guided in his work by M. Jouannin, the senior interpreter to the French Embassy, who introduced him to Greek Princes and rich Armenian families, notably the family of the Duzoglou, the leading jewellers and silversmiths to the Court (Hitzel). Most of the portraits were of the people Dupre met during his journey, and the fine colouring of the plates is said to have been done by Dupre himself.
Coloured plates in order:
1. Photo Pikos du Pays de Suli.
2. Suliote a Corfou.
3. Palicare de la Selleide.
4. Ismael, Bey et Mehemet, Pacha, Fils de Veli, Pacha de Thessalie, et Petits-fils d'Ali-Tebeleu, Visir de Janina.
5. Le Garde des Sceaux d'Ali-Pacha.
6. Un Suliote a Corfou. Nicolo Pervoli.
7. Ali Tebelen, Pacha de Janina, dessine d'apres nature le 14 Mars sue le lac de Butrinto.
8. Ali Pacha de Janina, chassant sur le lac de Butrinto en Mars 1819.
9. Le Palais et la Forteresse de Janina, vus du Lac. Un Turc et un jeune Grec.
10. Un Grec de Janina.
11. Le Pinde.
12. Un Page de Veli, Pacha de Chessalie.
13. Jeune Grec Thessalien.
14. Les Meteores de Thessalie et le Pinde.
15. Un Grec Logothete de Livadie.
16. Une Demoiselle Grecque de Livadie.
17. Un Tartare et les fragmens du Lion de Cheronnee.
18. Mouhamet Ruschen Effendi Dervis.
19. L'Acropolis. Vu de la Maison du Consul de France Mr. Fauvel.
20. Un Boucher Albanis a Athenes.
21. Le Parthenon.
22. Le Temple de Jupiter Olympien et l'Acropolis d'Athenes.
23. Vue de l'Acropolis.
24. Le Temple de Thesee a Athenes.
25. Vasili Gouda, Aide de Camp de Marco Borzaris.
26. Une Athenienne.
27. Grec d'Hydra.
28. Un Pretre Grec et un Turc.
29. Une Mosquee a Athenes.
30. Mariage Grec a Athenes.
31. Demetrius Mavromichalis.
32. Un Armenien.
33. Un Prince Armenien et sa femme.
34. Un Janissaire du Palais et un Bostangi.
35. Bilesikdji, Armenien.
36. Kalioundji. Marin militaire attache a l'Amiraute Ottomane.
37. Un Mamlouk.
38. Le Prince de Moldavie, Michel Soutzo.
39. La Princesse Helene S.
40. Nicolacki Mitropolos arborant l'etendard de la Croix a Salona, le jour de Paques 1821.