Album of Turkish Watercolours

A splendid album, signed and dated by the artist, with original artwork, and historically significant. Joseph Cardero made the album during his stay in Istanbul, as part of the first Embassy sent by the Spanish Crown to the Ottoman Empire.

Spain had been in a virtual state of war with the Ottoman Empire since the 16th century, thus, virtually no contact between them had occurred. For the first time, by the 18th century, both powers signed a peace treatise called the Treatise of Constantinople (1782); its aim was peace, amity, and commerce. As per its political significance, it may be regarded as the greatest external affair´s achievement of King Charles III. By 1784, the King ordered an Embassy to visit the Turkish capital, and Commander Don Gabriel Aristizabal (1743 – 1805) was appointed as its leader; in 1790 a work narrating the journey was published under the title Viage a Constantinopla.

This is important for two reasons, it was to open the Levant for commerce with Spain, and it would be the first recognizance by the Spanish of the Ottoman Empire. Aristizabal presented to the King himself a relation of what he had seen on the embassy.

Cardero (1766 – 1811) was a Spanish draughtsman, artist, explorer and mapmaker; by 1785 he was working in Valetta (Malta), probably when the expeditionary embassy recruited him, to travel to the Mediterranean. Very little is known about him from his early years, however this album shows an artistic skill that would soon gain him a position as draughtsman in the expedition lead by Malaspina, in 1789. Cardero was appointed by Malaspina to be one of the official artists of the expedition. After travelling to Alaska, he was assigned to accompany Valdés and Galiano during their circumnavigation of Vancouver Island –getting to work with Vancouver himself. During the voyage, Cardero produced charts based on survey sketches and composed numerous drawings and watercolours of the region's dramatic scenery. Subsequently, many of Cardero's artworks formed the basis for the grand paintings of Fernando Brambila.

Iconographically, the album has the virtue of being absolutely original artwork, and amongst the first Spanish artistic rendering of Turkish costumes, manners, dressing, and religious attires.

Composed of 25 drawings, each mounted on a larger heavy-laid paper; each drawing is contained within a double frame in red and yellow, numbered at the upper right corner and captioned in Spanish with the title or identification of the person portrayed –actually, his position or what he represents. Most of the drawings –all clearly by the same hand- are dated and signed 'Josef Cardero'. The drawings are entitled Gran Señor, Gran Visir, Legista, Gefa de los Sultanes, Sultana, Capitan Baxa, Henuco Negro (black eunuch), Reis effendi o Ministro de Estado, Primer Dragoman de la Puerta, Porta sable, Turca en casa, Asistenta de un baño, Turca en la calle, Turca de espaldas, Griega en la calle, Ranca (the one on a different paper, with a different frame and more stylish, possibly a proof for a new presentation album), Coronel de Genisaros, Genisaro, Oficial de Aguadores, Vostanchi, Turco, ff. 23 unnamed (a prisoner being punished), Hebrea en la calle, Hebreo en la calle.

The rarity of the album is considerable, it is unrecorded and an unprecedented new link to Ottoman´s iconography. Extensive collections such as Blackmer´s counted only 14 such albums, and only one from the 18th century. The collection of Selfik Atabey had as well only one 18th century costumes album.