Sultan Ahmed III Crowned in the Mosque at Eyups (Aubry de La Mottraye's "Travels throughout Europe, Asia and into Part of Africa...," London, 1724, vol. I, pl. 17B)

Hogarth made this print early in his career to illustrate a travel book by the French author Aubry de La Mottraye. The image of the Turkish sultan being crowned derives in part from "Recueil de cent estampes représentant differéntes nations du Levant..." (A Collection of One Hundred Prints Representing Nations of the Levant, 1712-13). In that earlier publication works engraved by Philippe Simonneau (1685–1753) and Gerard Scotin (1643–1715) after Jean Baptiste Vanmour include plate 1, "Le Grand Seigneur en habit de Ceremonie le jour du Beiram" (The Great Lord in ceremonial holiday dress), plate 15, "Capidgi-Bachi, ou maitre de ceremonies" (Capidgi-Bachi the master of ceremonies), plate 14: "Le Bach Chiaoux, Chef des huissiers" (Le Bach Chiaoux, Leader of the Hussars), plate 20, "Le Moufti, or Chef de la Loy" (The Mufti, or chief lawyer), and plate 27: "Le Grand Vizir, en Habit et turban de ceremonie" (The Grand Vizier in ceremonial dress and turban). Hogarth's print arranges these figures around the sultan and places them in a mosque interior derived from the latter print.

Credit: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1932