Panorama of Istanbul

Melchior Lorichs, a 16th-century Flemish artist, produced a unique panorama of Istanbul in 1559. The full length of the complete panorama is about 12 meters in length and 45 cms in height and encompasses the shores of the Golden Horn, which are filled with sailing ships and boats darting across the waters, from Seraglio Point to Eyüp. Lorichs filled the scenes of this incredible work with lavish details of the Byzantine and Ottoman monuments that adorned the city at the time, as well as its picturesque dwellings and the overall topography of the city. Lorichs' panorama is printed on handmade paper on a hand-pulled press, one color at a time. The panorama is folded and presented in a box exquisitely bound in full leather. Only one hundred numbered copies of this unusual and exclusive work have been produced.