Art from Home: Stories of Cultural Connections

Young Emir Studying

Osman Hamdy Bey
Turkey, Istanbul (?)
1878
Oil on canvas
Louvre Abu Dhabi
LAD 2012.017|45.5 x 90 cm

This painting was made in 1878 by the Ottoman artist Osman Hamdi Bey. It depicts a young emir studying in an interior which seems highly specific, but is in fact an imaginary scene, composed of entirely disparate elements. Osman Hamdi Bey was specialised in this kind of scene arrangement, blending the decorative traditions of Islamic art with a sense of citation and collage similar to that found in the work of European artists.

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