Count Amadeo Preziosi (Maltese, 1816-1882)

Preziosi has depicted a view of the Bosphorus looking north towards the Black Sea. On the left, on the far shore, Rumelihisari is clearly seen. The fortress of Europe was built at the time of the conquest in the spring and summer of 1452, and is said to have been constructed in only four months. It immediately gave Sultan Mehmet II complete control of shipping in the Bosphorus, so that no allies of the Byzantines could arrive from the Black Sea coast to attempt to lift the siege. The viewpoint is taken from a hill at Kandill?, a village on the Asian shore.