Largest Orientalist painting in Turkey restored

ISTANBUL

An Orientalist painting by French painter Felix-Auguste Clement, the largest of its kind in Turkey, will meet art lovers in November.

The painting, which was transferred from the Sait Halim Paşa mansion to the Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture after a three-month preparation process, will be displayed in the second section of the museum, which is set to open in fall.

National Palaces Administration President Yasiln Yildız said that the restoration of the 35-square-meter painting continued in a specially prepared atelier.

He said that the painting, known as “Gazelle Hunt,” was Turkey’s largest-known painting, adding: “Sait Halim Paşa’s father Abdulhalim Pasha got this painting done for his mansion in Egypt and then transferred the painting to the mansion of his son and kept it there for years. After the mansion was registered in the inventory of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the painting was owned by the Yıldız Palace. With the presidential system, the Yıldız Palace became affiliated with the National Palaces and now we own the painting.”

Yıldız emphasized that such an important work has had limited visibility in Sait Halim Pasha for many years.

He said that works started in November last year for the restoration of the painting, adding: “This 150-year-old painting in this size needs to be well followed. For that reason, the month of November was spent with analysis and analysis. In December, we worked with experts from abroad. Our experts are also very competent in this regard. Then studies were carried out on the method of transportation. Finally, the surface of the painting was protected with a special method to prevent damage and then was transferred to the museum under the enclosure of a special team.”

The painting, originally titled “The gazelle hunt of Prince Halim in the Gatah desert: The share of the hound dog,” is rare in the world due to its size of 390x700 centimeters.

Made in 1865, the painting depicts a group of hunters after a gazelle hunt.