Optical view of Tophane Barracks in the Port of Constantinople (Turkey)

Tophane (Constantinople)

Tophane is a quarter in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. It has a coastline with the Bosphorus.

The name of the place was derived from the armory known as Tophane-i Amire which was built in the reign (1451–1481) of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II. Its main purpose was the manufacturing cannons and cannonballs. Tophane, which could be seen in Melling's (1763–1831) engraving, has not been able to survive to this day. In 1823, during the Firuz Agha fire, the barracks were burned down only to be rebuilt later. In addition to this, during the reconstruction effort, the Nusretiye Mosque was constructed. The oldest remaining military buildings within Tophane were the old General Staff Headquarters and the industry barracks. Both were taken down due to construction to widen the road in 1958. In the place of the barracks, all that is remaining now is the historical clock tower and Mecidiye Mansion.

The Kılıç Ali Pasha Complex in Tophane, built by the Ottoman Kapudan-i Derya Kılıç Ali Pasha and designed by the renowned architect Mimar Sinan, is a külliye which comprises a mosque, a medrese, a hamam, a türbe, and a fountain that were constructed between 1578 and 1587.

The Tophane Fountain, situated between Nusretiye Mosque and Kılıç Ali Pasha Complex, was commissioned by Mahmud I and built in 1732.

The Optical View

The Galerie Napoléon is pleased to propose to you this strong water etching printed 201 years ago (around 1820).
As for all the antique prints in our catalogue, this optical view VUE DE LA PLACE ET DES CASERNES DE TOP-HANE à l'entrée du Port de Constantionople dating from 1820 is dispatched worldwide within 24H in a secured packaging, accompanied by its certificate of authenticity guaranteeing the name of the artists (draughtsman, engraver, editor), the impression process used (Strong water) and its date (1820).

In order to guarantee a perfect conservation in time, this strong water etching is dispatched, ready to be framed, under color passepartout (manufactured without acid in the pulp for a neutral pH) on a cream mountboard made from carton bois (also acid free & neutral pH), in a luxurious portfolio.

History of the Optical views

At the apogee of the mode for optical views, between 1750 and 1790, four European cities specialized in their edition: Paris (France), London (England), Augsburg (Germany) and Bassano (Italy).

Optical views are prized in very different social circles : pleasant recreation in aristocratic salons, the views are admired in beautiful and richly decorated optical boxes which are real works of art. The show was transformed into a real scientific experiment. But the optical views also entertained the people who were in a hurry when a hawker set up a box on a market and began to narrate the extraordinary events that had taken place in a more or less distant and inaccessible country.

There are three categories in the production of optical views.

• Topographic views: Cities, Monuments, Ports, Distant regions, reproduced with more or less accuracy, depending on the documents available to the engraver. It is obvious that the authors of these prints had not seen these territories. They therefore recomposed these landscapes by compiling various engravings and drawings, which explains many fantasies.
• The historical scenes : Inaugurations, Coronations, Battles, Fires or Natural disasters form a subject that the people are fond of.
• Views with a religious or moralizing theme. For educational value, these prints were mainly produced by Parisian publishers in the rue Saint-Jacques.

Our guarantee

With more than 20 years experience and a catalogue of more than 30.000 antique prints and historical documents dating from the 14th to the 19th century, the Galerie Napoléon, parisian antique dealer's gallery, is one of the world references in the field of antique prints,etchings and antique graphic arts.

In addition to thousands of impassioned of antique prints throughout the world, the Galerie Napoléon is honoured to count among its customers : national archives, museums, historical monuments and important home designer companies. All attracted by the extraordinary diversity of its catalogue and the quality and speed of its services.

This experience allows us to guarantee to each one of our customers the authenticity of the antiques in our catalogue and the shipment of their orders within 24 hours.

Secured shipment

Les commandes sont offerts pour toute commande supérieure à 50EUR pour la France, 70EUR pour l'union européenne (et Suisse) et 90EUR pour le reste du monde.

Les frais de port sont offerts pour toute commande supérieure à 50EUR pour la France, 70EUR pour l'union européenne (et Suisse) et 90EUR pour le reste du monde.

Pour les commandes inférieures à ces montants, les frais de port sont de 6EUR pour la France, 8EUR pour l'union européenne (et Suisse) et 10EUR pour le reste du monde.

Secured payment

• Credit card secured by Paybox, european leader in the online payment (CB, Visa, Eurocard/Mastercard)
• PayPal (American Express,..)
• European bank transfer SEPA (IBAN/BIC/SWIFT)
• Bank check (drawn on a french bank)
• Administrative order (Museums, Universities, Town Halls, Ministries...)