Untitled (Fishing Boats on the Bosphorus, Istanbul)

P. Ardy

Oil on board

15.25 x 19.5 in.

Mori and Jacobson Collection

Nothing is known about the artist who signed this painting as “P. Ardy.” Likely they were a twentieth century painter working in the style of early Impressionism. The title identifies this scene as 19th century Istanbul, Turkey, on the shores of the Bosphorus, the narrow body of water that separates the continents of Europe and Asia. The blue dome in the distance is a dominant feature but is so generic that we cannot firmly place this scene in Istanbul. The lack of any suggestion of the modern city or port may indicate that the artist was imagining a scene from the past.