Mounted lithograph from a set of 13, depicting a view of the nave looking east in the Hagia Sophia, from Gaspare Fossati's, 'Aya Sofia Constantinople', published by P. & D. Colnaghi. London, 1852.

Hand-coloured lithograph, individually mounted, from a set of 13 depicting interior views of the Aya Sofia, Constantinople (Hagia Sophia, Istanbul).

Purchased with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund, Shell International and the Friends of the V&A

In 1847-1849, the artist and his brother Giuseppe were commissioned by Sultan Abdul Mecit I to carry out restoration work on parts of Aya Sofia, in particular the dome and the mosaics. Fossati's lithographs were published in two editions: see Abbey (396 & 397). The most obvious difference between the two is the absence of hand colouring on the cheaper, bound edition: see SP.271. For the more expensive edition, Abbey (397), the plates were hand coloured, mounted and sold unbound in a portfolio. The loose plates here appear to come from both editions.

For the drawings, Fossati collaborated with the German artist Alexius Geyer (or Gayer). The latter was responsible for the original drawings of the exterior views, two of which are in the Collection, SD.422 & SD.423.

SP.270:2