Items Similar to 17th C portrait of an Ottoman Elite Woman, Venetian School, Unsigned.
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 7
Unknown17th C portrait of an Ottoman Elite Woman, Venetian School, Unsigned.-
-
$31,006.01
£23,084.72
€26,000
CA$42,854.09
A$45,562.75
CHF 24,638.96
MX$541,982.76
NOK 308,637.97
SEK 281,878.29
DKK 198,113.53
About the Item
This evocative three-quarter length portrait, executed in the Venetian School during the 17th century, depicts an imagined figure of an elite Ottoman woman, rendered in rich oils on canvas. Her elaborate headdress, ornate costume, and poised bearing align with Western ideals of exoticism and nobility, shaped through Venetian eyes. The rose delicately held at her chest may serve as a symbolic identifier—an allusion to Rossa or Rosselana, the Western name for Hürrem Sultan (c.1502–1558), the influential consort and later wife of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
Though inspired by real figures, such portraits were rooted more in fantasy than faithful representation. The sitter embodies a Western interpretation of harem life—part admiration, part mystique—reflecting European fascination with the Ottoman court. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Venice and the Ottoman Empire were both dominant powers in the Mediterranean. While often rivals, they maintained deep commercial and diplomatic ties that fostered a vibrant exchange of culture and imagery.
Hürrem Sultan, born in Ruthenia and taken into Ottoman slavery, defied conventions by rising to become Suleiman’s legal wife and Empress—a rare position for a former concubine. Her formidable influence and political ambition made her a controversial yet iconic figure, both reviled and romanticised in contemporary accounts. In Europe, she became enshrined in legend as La Sultana Rossa, her life inspiring endless fascination with the forbidden world of the seraglio—a realm imagined more than known.
This portrait, therefore, is not a likeness but a cultural mirror, reflecting Venetian curiosity, imagination, and engagement with the East during a time of complex entanglements between empire, art, and identity.
- Creation Year:-
- Dimensions:Height: 59.06 in (150 cm)Width: 46.46 in (118 cm)Depth: 1.97 in (5 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:Frame needs some readjustments.
- Gallery Location:brussel, BE
- Reference Number:Seller: 120111stDibs: LU1509217477332
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Professional Seller
Every seller passes strict standards for authenticity and reliability
1stDibs seller since 2021
15 sales on 1stDibs
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: leuven, Belgium
- Return Policy
More From This Seller
View AllFarming Family on a Sunday Morning, Oil on Canvas. Framed and Signed
Located in brussel, BE
The Namur painter and engraver, Louis Decoeur (1884-1960) became a member of “L’Effort” around 1910. This artist’s association provided a free studio for painters in Brussels, on the...
Category
20th Century Fauvist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of a Gentleman in Three-Quarter-Length, attr. Nicolaes Maes
By Nicolaes Maes
Located in brussel, BE
The 39-year-old gentleman had himself portrayed as an aristocrat in an idyllic landscape. At the time, parks and forests were environments associated with the lands and pastimes of t...
Category
17th Century Dutch School Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
17th C Landscape with Noblewoman and Squire, Dutch Shool, Oil on Copper, Framed
Located in brussel, BE
This charming bucolic landscape bathes in a soft yellow light. A lady on horseback, accompanied by a boy on a donkey, stops near a shepherd. The herd looks at two fishers and quietly...
Category
17th Century Land Figurative Paintings
Materials
Copper
Pallas Athéna with lance, shield, helmet and breastplate.Anonymus early 19th C.
Located in brussel, BE
After Athena was born fully armed from Zeus' forehead, Triton, acting as a foster parent to the goddess, raised her alongside his daughter, Pallas. The sea god taught both girls the ...
Category
Early 19th Century Figurative Paintings
Materials
Panel, Oil
Flower Garland Surrounding the Virgin and Child with Saint Dominic
By Frans Francken II
Located in brussel, BE
Flower Garland Surrounding the Virgin and Child, after Jan Brueghel the Elder (flowers), Circle of Frans Francken II (figures), Antwerp, circa 1615–1625, Oil on copper
This finely e...
Category
17th Century Baroque Figurative Paintings
Materials
Copper
Oval Allegorical Composition, Circle of Jean Portaels, Belgian School, mid-19th
Located in brussel, BE
Oval Allegorical Composition, Circle of Jean Portaels, Belgian School, mid-19th C, Oil sketch.
This work is a preparatory oil sketch, likely executed in connection with a larger all...
Category
19th Century Romantic Landscape Paintings
Materials
Cotton Canvas, Oil
You May Also Like
Vintage English Woman in Dress on Park Bench in Suburbia 1960
s 1970
s England
Located in Preston, GB
Vintage English Woman in Dress on Park Bench in Suburbia 1960's 1970's England, entitled 'Summertime Blues' by Retro Nostalgic Artist, Paul F Harding. S...
Category
Late 20th Century English School Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Vintage English Woman waiting at the Train Station 1960
s 1970
s England
Located in Preston, GB
Vintage English Woman waiting at the Train Station 1960's 1970's England by Retro Nostalgic Artist, Paul F Harding. Signed, Original, Oil on Canvas. Pre...
Category
Late 20th Century English School Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$2,137 Sale Price
20% Off
Vintage English Woman at a Seaside Beach Resort in Summer 1960
s 1970
s England
Located in Preston, GB
Vintage English Woman at a Seaside Beach Resort in Summer 1960's 1970's England entitled 'Seaside Delight’ by Retro Nostalgic Artist, Paul F Harding. Si...
Category
Late 20th Century English School Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Vintage English Woman with Duffel Coat
Mary Jane Shoes 1960
s 1970
s England
Located in Preston, GB
Vintage English Woman with Duffel Coat & Mary Jane Shoes 1960's 1970's England entitled 'The Fall of Desire' by Retro Nostalgic Artist, Paul F Harding. ...
Category
Late 20th Century English School Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$2,137 Sale Price
20% Off
Vintage English Woman in Suburbia with Classic Ford Car 1960
s 1970
s England
Located in Preston, GB
Vintage English Woman in Suburbia with Classic Ford Anglia Car 1960's 1970's England entitled ‘The Temptations Of Travel’ by Retro Nostalgic Artist, Paul F Harding...
Category
Late 20th Century English School Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Oil
Vintage English Woman at a Seaside Beach Resort in Summer 1960
s 1970
s England
Located in Preston, GB
Vintage English Woman at a Seaside Beach Resort in Summer 1960's 1970's England entitled 'Summer Collection 1' by Retro Nostalgic Artist, Paul F Harding...
Category
Late 20th Century English School Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
