Continental School, possibly Austrian

Couleurs d'Orient, Brussels 2010
Turkophilia, Paris 2011

Brussels 2010, p. 13
Paris 2011, p. 81

Unexamined out of frame and under glass. There are some old repairs to the vellum at the extreme left and right edges, including in thin strips in the hoof and rear of the horse, and the ink inscriptions have faded with age. There is paint flaking in some of the pigments, notably in the vertical red stripes in the tunics worn by some of the peyk soldiers, and the black outlines in the headgear appear to have been strengthened. There is a vertical line c. 20cm from the right edge, which appears to have been retouched. The catalogue illustration is broadly accurate and the above is visible in the illustration. Held in a decorative dark gold-painted wood and plaster frame, under glass with a green mount.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present work depicts two classes of Janissary soldiers, respectively peyk bodyguard infantrymen wielding their balta axes, and solak, denoting 'left-handed' in Turkish, wielding bows. Together these soldiers comprised the Sultan's escort, and since the archers marched beside the Sultan, it is likely that this fragment is from a scroll in which the Sultan himself would have paraded on horseback immediately to the right.

The fragment bears close similarity to manuscript albums of the late sixteenth century, commissioned by European courts from their ambassadors, notably those executed during the reign of Sultan Murad III. (see, for example, those held in the Staats und Universitätsbibliothek, Bremen, the Codrington Library of All Souls College, Oxford, and particularly the Codex Vindobonensis 8626, Bartholomeus Pezzen's album, in which the placement of the peykler is particularly similar to the present work).