Melling Voyage Pittoresque De Constantinople Et Des Rives Du Bosphore

In 1795 the Alsace-born Antoine Ignace Melling, who had come to Constantinople to seek his fortune, was appointed imperial architect by the Ottoman Sultan Selim III. During his tenure in that position, he also designed and landscaped a seaside palace for Selim’s sister, Princess Hatice. While in Constantinople, Melling executed a number of astonishing panoramic views of the city and its environs.

Melling returned to Paris around 1803. In 1809, he set up an engraving studio for the purpose of reproducing these drawings. The completed images were published as a series of fascicles that were sent out to subscribers. The last one appeared in 1819. The Ertuğ & Kocabıyık facsimile edition of the complete book is reproduced from the original “elephant folio”, an unfolded first edition in the collection of Ahmet Ertuğ. The technical aspects of the project were undertaken in Switzerland by some of the world’s leading facsimile specialists under the careful supervision of Mr Ertuğ.

This outstanding facsimile edition is bound in sturdy Japanese cloth.

The book measures 50 by 66 cms. The foldout image plates are 65 by 97 cms. There are 48 views of Constantinople in the late 18th century, as well as three maps. The publishers also offer an edition of the unfolded image plates presented in a leather-bound case. Only 25 copies of this version have been produced. The text for this edition is bound separately and presented in a pocket in the leather case.