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Mehmed Said Efendi, Ambassador of the Sublime Porte

Jacques André Joseph Aved French

1742

Not on view

Having already accompanied his father to France in spring 1721, Said Efendi led his own extraordinary embassy there in 1742. In Paris, Aved painted him dressed in a sable-lined caftan. Symbols of his learning surround him, including a book by the Dutch jurist Hugo Grotius, as well as his credentials, written in Ottoman court language (a combination of Arabic and Persian words and script) and bearing the seal of the Empire. The Sublime Porte of the title is a traditional reference to the Ottoman government, while the view of Paris in the background pictures Said Efendi’s entry through the Porte Saint-Antoine, one of the gates of Paris.

Mehmed Said Efendi, Ambassador of the Sublime Porte, Jacques André Joseph Aved (French, Douai 1702–1766 Paris), Oil on canvas — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Mehmed Said Efendi, Ambassador of the Sublime Porte

Artist: Jacques André Joseph Aved (French, Douai 1702–1766 Paris)

Date: 1742

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: Without frame: 94 1/8 × 63 3/4 in. (239 × 162 cm)
With frame: 97 1/16 × 66 5/16 × 2 3/8 in. (246.5 × 168.5 × 6 cm)

Classification: Paintings

Credit Line: Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon (MV 3716)

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