This talk traces Ottoman collecting practices between the drastic administrative state reforms of the mid-19th century and the autocratic turn of the late-19th century. It highlights two collectors: the renowned statesman Abdüllatif Suphi Paşa (d. 1881) and the relatively obscure Hakky-Bey (d. 1906), who amassed sizable collections of pre-Islamic and Islamic antiquities. These collections and their accompanying texts spoke to the larger 19th-century socio-cultural context of the Ottoman Empire, including the special position of Egypt as an Ottoman vice-royalty, as well as ideas of reform.

The talk will be live on our YouTube channel. If you are unable to join us live online, the recording will be on our YouTube channel following the program.

This talk is generously supported by the Walters Art Museum’s Friends of Asian Art group.