Groot-vizier Ibrahim Pasha en de leider van de Janitsaren - Abraham de Bruyn

A sixteenth-century engraving by Abraham de Bruyn depicting the Grand Vizier and the Agha of the Janissaries in traditional Ottoman military attire.

This engraving by Abraham de Bruyn, a Flemish-born artist active in Antwerp and Cologne, depicts two figures of the Ottoman military hierarchy. The work originates from a series documenting the diverse costumes and social roles observed within the Ottoman Empire during the late sixteenth century. De Bruyn was known for his meticulous approach to recording foreign attire, a practice that gained popularity among European audiences curious about the East.

The left panel shows the Grand Vizier, Ibrahim Pasha, mounted on a horse. He is depicted in a formal posture, holding a staff of office, with his elaborate turban and robes rendered through precise hatching. The right panel features the Agha of the Janissaries, the commander of the elite Ottoman infantry. This figure is framed by a decorative border containing botanical motifs, which contrasts with the simpler ground of the first panel. The inclusion of Latin and German inscriptions at the base of each image provides identification for the figures, reflecting the scholarly intent behind such publications.

Technically, the work demonstrates the fine line quality characteristic of sixteenth-century copperplate engraving. The artist employs varying densities of line to suggest texture, from the soft folds of fabric to the muscular form of the horses. The composition is structured as two distinct plates, presented here on a single sheet. The paper shows signs of age, including discolouration and edge wear, which provides a sense of the object's history as a surviving fragment of a larger costume book. This print offers a view into how European artists of the period visualised and categorised the Ottoman world, relying on a combination of observation and established iconographic conventions to represent these figures for a Western readership.