The artwork, titled “Coffee house by the Ortaköy Mosque in Constantinople,” is a genre painting by Ivan Aivazovsky, created in 1846. Executed in oil on canvas, it measures 45.5 x 37 cm and belongs to the Romanticism art movement.
In the artwork, Aivazovsky captures a serene scene set at a coffee house near the famous Ortaköy Mosque in Constantinople. The composition is rich in detail, portraying a group of men in traditional Ottoman attire, engaging in conversation and leisure activities such as smoking and playing musical instruments. The prominent backdrop features the majestic Ortaköy Mosque, with its ornate domes and slender minarets rising gracefully against the sky, suggestive of the architectural grandeur of the city. The artwork embodies the tranquil ambiance of everyday life in 19th-century Constantinople, bathed in the warm, golden light of an afternoon.
