Count Amadeo Preziosi (Maltese, 1816-1882)

This image seems to be a view of Büyükdere, with a large British first-rate three-decker ship at anchor, and other ships in the distance. It may have been painted at the time of the Crimean War, when the Allied fleet anchored there, before re-grouping and sailing on into the Black Sea. It was a time of great activity for Preziosi, as the demand for his pictures increased, not least from eminent patrons such as Stratford Canning, 1st Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe, then the British Ambassador.
We are grateful to Briony Llewellyn and Charles Newton for their assistance in cataloguing the present lot.