Turkish History Paintings

Mehmed II enters Constantinople with his army by the Italian painter Fausto Zonaro (1854–1929).

Zonaro is an interesting character. After he studied art in Italy he moved to Turkey and lived for many years in Istanbul, where he became a kind of Turk by choice. Moreover he had great success with his history paintings glorifying the highlights of Turkish history. That’s the cause why today there can be seen history paintings in the best European academic tradition in some public buildings in Istanbul.