Melling was a French architect and painter who had come to the Ottoman Capital İstanbul in 1784. Melling’s life changed when he met Sultan Selim III’s sister Hatice Sultan who had a majestic wooden Palace by the Bosphorus.
Hatice Sultan’s glorious Palace in Kuruçeşme.
Antoine Ignace Melling (1763-1831)
Melling became the chief architect, painter, designer and advisor to Hatice Sultan who exchanged letters with the architect. Note that exchanging letters and being in contact with a male figure was something unimaginable for an Ottoman royal woman in the 18th century when women led segregated lives and lived behind the veil. What is even more interesting is that Hatice Sultan ordered an apartment to be built for her chief architect inside the palace. Melling learnt Turkish and Hatice Sultan wrote in Latin letters to Melling so that he would understand what she was writing to him.
Hatice Sultan (1768-1822) – sketch by Antoine Ignace Melling
Melling even made a portrait of Hatice Sultan which was scandalous by the standards of the day. Historians say that Hatice Sultan’s brother Selim III was so disturbed by such closeness between his sister and Melling that he stopped visiting her palace.
Melling stayed in İstanbul for 18 years and made hundreds of paintings of the city. He published all his paintings in a book titled “Voyage Pittoresque de Constantinople et des Rives du Bosphore” after his return to Paris in 1819.
We have the collected letters of Hatice Sultan and Melling printed but the original letters are in a private collection in France. There is nothing particularly sentimental about the letters but it is still astounding to think that an Ottoman woman in the 18th century had such a close contact with a male figure.
Letters of Hatice Sultan and Melling can be found in bookstores in İstanbul
We know about 18th century Ottoman İstanbul partially because of Melling and his detailed paintings of this majestic city. Today, not much has stayed from the 18th century İstanbul as all the beautiful wooden palaces including Hatice Sultan’s have been wiped out and the natural beauty of İstanbul has not been preserved.
Let’s glance at 18th century İstanbul through the gaze of Melling.
Harem
Palace of Hatice Sultan
Wedding Procession
Panoramic View of İstanbul from Eyüp
Beşiktaş Palace
Letter of Hatice Sultan to Melling
Let me end with an 18th century song composed by Hatice Sultan’s brother Selim III who had been tragically dethroned similar to many of the Ottoman Sultans. Unlike the palaces and the natural beauty of 18th century İstanbul, Selim III’s poems and musical compositions are still with us!
