The Crisis in Turkey: Officials Going to Compliment the New Grand Vizier

Description

This engraving depicts one of the most critical political transformations in the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 19th century. Following the dismissal and exile of Grand Vizier Midhat Pasha and the appointment of Edhem Pasha to the post of Grand Vizier, high-ranking members of the Ottoman bureaucracy arrive at the palace to congratulate the new Grand Vizier. The composition depicts statesmen wearing fezzes and wearing European attire, conversing with each other and placing their hands on their chests in respect within a hall adorned with ornate walls and elegant furnishings. The scene perfectly captures the diplomatic courtesy surrounding the Sublime Porte and the formal aloofness of the palace hierarchy.