The Reception of an Ambassador by the Grand Vizier at the Sublime Porte

Before becoming an artist, the talented but little-known Lespinasse had a military career, during which he earned membership in the royal order of St. Louis. It is perhaps from experience with topographical drawings that he came to develop a particular skill for panoramic city views and architectural interiors, both relying on depictions of vast, complex spaces, enlivened by small-scale figures. Lespinasse's gift for compositions with vast numbers of figures led to his involvement in Ignace Mouradja d'Ohsson's ambitious book project, the "Tableau général de l'empire Othoman" (Portrait of the Ottoman empire). The first two volumes appeared in 1787 and 1789, while the French Revolution delayed the publication of the third until 1824.
D'Ohsson (1740-1807) was born Muradca Tosunyan in Istanbul to parents of Armenian descent. In 1787 he changed his name to d'Ohsson, the Franco-Swedish equivalent of his Turko-Armenian surname. D'Ohsson followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a translator to the Swedish embassy in Istanbul. His position and knowledge of the Arabic and Turkish languages allowed him access to the Ottoman court, normally inaccessible to Europeans. Through this experience d'Ohsson was inspired to produce his “Tableau general de l'empire Othoman,” a detailed literary and visual history of the Ottoman empire that respected and celebrated its traditions and culture. D'Ohsson's role as interpreter of the Ottoman empire is complex: as an associate of the Swedish embassy he was exempt from certain Ottoman taxes and other legal restrictions, which allowed him to obtain a higher economic and social status. His project catered to a Western audience by engaging European artists, using French for the text, and publishing in Paris under his Westernized name, which he notably adopted the year the first volume appeared.
The present drawing apparently was not published, possibly because its intricate detail would have made it too costly to reproduce. The view of water in this drawing suggests that the room depicted may be at the grand vizier's Yali (mansion), which was located along the water with a view of the strait and served as his summer house. The grand vizier often entertained visiting dignitaries with a meal before their reception by the sultan at Topkapi Palace. A related Lespinasse drawing in the Morgan's collection "The Presentation of an Ambassador to the Sultan in the Hall of Petitions of the Topkapi Palace, Constantinople" (inv. no. 2006.2) was engraved as the final plate in the third volume of d'Ohsson's publication in a chapter on the relations of the Ottoman court with foreign powers ("Audience d'un ministre européen"). Both drawings were probably executed in Paris from original designs recording the events in Istanbul by the Ottoman Greek painter, Kapidagli Konstantin (active 1789-1806) or his workshop.