Portret van Ahmed İbrahim Resmî

About this artwork

verzamelaarsmerk, verso, gestempeld: Lugt 2228

Art Historical Context

This engraving by Johann Esaias Nilson captures Ahmed İbrahim Resmî, an influential Ottoman statesman and diplomat, in a formal portrait measuring 228 by 164 millimeters. Created between 1765 and 1788, the work reflects the growing diplomatic exchanges between European courts and the Ottoman Empire during the eighteenth century. Nilson, a German artist known for his precise reproductive prints, employed engraving to translate painted likenesses into widely distributable images. The medium itself underscores the period’s fascination with portable, reproducible art. Engravings like this one allowed portraits of foreign dignitaries to circulate among European collectors, fostering both curiosity and cultural exchange. A collector’s stamp on the reverse (Lugt 2228) further attests to the print’s journey through private cabinets, where such works were valued as both historical documents and refined examples of graphic technique. Today the sheet offers viewers a tangible connection to eighteenth-century international relations, reminding us how small printed portraits helped shape European perceptions of Ottoman officials.

About the Artist

Johann Esaias Nilson · 1721–1788

Comment on works: miniature