Orientalism | Luigi Mayer (1755–1803)

Kastellorizo: Lycian sarcophagi near Castel Rosso | Colossal sarcophagus near Castle Rosso.
MAYER, Luigi. Views in the Ottoman Empire, chiefly in Caramania, a part of Asia Minor hitherto unexplored; with some curious selections from the islands of Rhodes and Cyprus, and the celebrated cities of Corinth, Carthage, and Tripoli: from the original drawings in the possession of Sir R. Ainslie, taken during his embassy to Constantinople by Luigi Mayer: with historical observations and incidental illustrations of the manners and customs of the natives of the country, London, R. Bowyer, 1803.

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Mavi Boncuk | 

Luigi Mayer (1755–1803) was an Italian-German artist and one of the earliest and most important late 18th-century European painters of the Ottoman Empire. He was a close friend of Sir Robert Ainslie, 1st Baronet, a British ambassador to Turkey between 1776 and 1792, and the bulk of his paintings and drawings during this period were commissioned by Ainslie. He travelled extensively through the Ottoman Empire between 1776 and 1794, and became well known for his sketches and paintings of panoramic landscapes of ancient sites from the Balkans to the Greek Islands, Turkey and Egypt, particularly ancient monuments and the Nile. Many of the works were amassed in Ainslie's collection, which was later presented to the British Museum, providing a valuable insight into the Middle East of that period.

Scene from the encounter of the Voivode of Caramania with other Ottoman officials at his residence | A Caramanian Waiwode.


Ioli Vingopoulou Notes: 

Luigi Mayer (1755-1803) was a painter of German and Italian descent. He was born in Rome, was a pupil of well-known engraver J.B. Piranesi and worked for Ferdinand, King of Naples, creating paintings of the antiquities of Sicily. Later on, probably from 1776, he was in Istanbul and formed part of the circle of Sir. R. Ainslie, ambassador of Britain to the Sublime Gate (1776-1792). From then onwards, the ambassador financed Mayer's journeys so that the artist would draw and depict sights in the Ottoman empire and in particular the antiquities.

By the information provided in an anonymous account in manuscript, by a person who travelled with the artist for some time, and the subjects of Mayer's paintings, it is possible to recompose his itinerary, at least for 1792. Mayer travelled and made drawings of landscapes in Cyprus, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Caramania, Rhodes, Caria, Lycia and Samos. Some of his works from Ephesus and Corinth are known, but it is unclear when he visited those locations. Finaly, while accompanying Ainslie on his return trip to England, Mayer was able to paint landscapes in European Turkey, Bulgaria and Rumania. 

Mayer dwing ancient monuments, but also added picturesque details from everyday life, local costume and expressions of social life. It is unknown where the original drawings by the artist are today. A number of his works formed part of the Ainslie Collection and were later given to the British Museum. 

Mayer's works became very popular, were lithographed and circulated widely in consecutive editions from 1801 onwards. These editions, which were completed gradually, included paintings by Mayer representing various subjects and done in various engraving techniques, coupled with commentaries in three languages (English, French and German). The descriptions which accompany the illustration are excerpted from travel accounts of the same period.