Luigi Mayer (1755-1803) - Lot 301

Luigi Mayer (1755-1803) Saint Sophia from two angles: a pair Watercolor over engraved lines 26.5 x 36.5 cm Signed (slightly faded) In the second half of the 19th century, in the Tophane district of Istanbul, the production of terracotta objects linked to the consumption of coffee and tobacco developed. The district gave its name to the technique. Tophane" objects, made of glazed terracotta in a recognizable red color (more rarely black), are most often chibouk pipe stoves or coffee service pieces, with decorations painted in gold and sometimes silver. In 2007, Dr. Erdinç Bakla published a reference work on Tophane, entitled Tophane Lüleciligi: Osmanli'nin tasarimdaki yaraticiligi ve yasam keyfi (Tophane: Ottoman creativity in design and joie de vivre).