Name of Object:

Two Musician Girls

Location:

Istanbul, Türkiye

Holding Institution:

Pera Museum

 About Pera Museum, Istanbul

Date of Object:

Second half of the 19th century

Author:

Osman Hamdi Bey (1842-1910)

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

W: 390 + H: 580 cm

Description:

As opposed to the Western Orientalists who emphasize sexuality in their female figures, in Osman Hamdi’s paintings the female figures are often conscious of the period of Westernization in the Ottoman Empire, as well as their individual identities and talents, and are thus open to learning and self-development. In a number of Osman Hamdi’s works, the Ottoman woman is portrayed playing an instrument or reading and she always appears fully clothed. In this painting, which incorporates architectural elements of the Bursa Green Mosque, apart from musical instruments like the tambur (lute) and the tambourine, Ottoman decorative elements such as rugs, woodwork, stone carving, and tiles complement the artist’s unique approach to the female identity.

Archival or Bibliographical Reference:

Orientalist Paintings Collection-Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Collection

Citation of this web page:

"Two Musician Girls" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2025.
https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;AWE;tr;42;en

Copyedited by: Daniel de la VegaDaniel de la Vega

Daniel de la Vega is a copy editor based in Portland, Oregon. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in linguistics from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 2014 and has since done editing and localization work on everything from college applications to magazines to video game dialogue.

MWNF Working Number: TR2 038