The Crisis in Turkey: The New Grand Vizier on His Way to Receive the Imperial Hatt

Description

This engraving depicts one of the most critical political transformations in the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 19th century, when, following the dismissal and exile of Grand Vizier Midhat Pasha, Edhem Pasha proceeded to the palace to receive his grand vizier's decree. The composition depicts Edhem Pasha advancing among soldiers armed with bayonets and officials in official uniforms within a high-ceilinged state hall. The Pasha, wearing a satin ribbon bearing the imperial insignia on his chest, is placed at the center, surrounded by the elite of the Ottoman bureaucracy, ulema, and members of the military.